


Broken Moons

by LowerBlack



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), 艦隊これくしょん | Kantai Collection
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 17:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 116,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LowerBlack/pseuds/LowerBlack
Summary: Welcome to Planet Chariot, where a Vault has been located. Vault Hunters are about to embark on a (in)glorious journey... But what is this? Sea monsters? Looting like a pirate? Cute girls packing the power of warships? Join an unlikely Hunter-trying-to-be-hero in his quest to shoot some crazies, score some cash and survive not only cannibal bandits, but the girls joining him.Crossposted in FF.net





	1. Blank Slates

The sound of music had long since become his partner to his otherwise silent, lone trip. It wasn't that he hated the silence, it was more on the side that the monotony of it made him feel numb long ago, and numbness wasn't one of the things he particularly liked. So when he turned up the music, he let himself drift with it.

He stretched his neck by tilting his head, thankfully, he still didn't feel any sort of fatigue, only numbness on his legs.

The keys of the piano resounded in his ears. He had been unable to update his playlist, and thanks to the meddling with the internal memory of the music player, a lot of the tracks had become corrupted, and he had been forced to delete the majority of them, leaving him with an otherwise short and lacking repertoire of songs to choose from. He hadn't liked the sudden bursts which blasted his senses through ungodly static, those had been a nasty surprise. Thankfully, this soothing song's piano and relaxed beat had been a soothing nurture. Not that he couldn't do anything about it.

The clock on the corner of his vision marks 2:41 a.m., and on top of the watch was the song's title highlighted with ghastly white letters, "Lost Impact", with the rest showing the scenery through a soft blue light, along with a bright, angry red line glowing in front of him; said line was stretching out to the distance as far as his current vision allowed. There were some numbers flashing alongside the line, which decreased as time passed. Said numbers obviously indicated distance, which now read 21.4 Km and counting.

He was getting closer, and couldn't help but feel excited about it. Pulling down the accelerator even harder than he already was, the speed at which the Hydro-bike sailed increased.

Minutes passed by, and the counter still decreased, eventually changing from Kilometers to meters. The song ended, and the player moved on to the next one.

"Scanner: Switch to Thermal" Grey muttered, feeling cautious. His vision pulses with a very soft wave of light as a circle appears on the upper right corner of his vision, said circle also pulses with outward ripples of light, indicating any thermal signatures in the general vicinity. Handy tools to have around, this whole set of "thingamajigs", Grey's thankful for them. Not only was he capable of taking his music with him, he's also able to use various functions and devices just with a few voice commands.

There were no responses to the thermal radar. However, he wants to cover all bases.

"Scanner: Switch to Echo" Grey mutters again. However, this time, his vision starts flicking erratically at the same time the music playing in his ears starts looping the same seconds in a cacophonic disarray. Almost immediately, a message displaying all manners of numbers appears on the left side of his vision. He's quite familiar with these numbers by now, even if he doesn't know that they mean in the least. "Ah dammit".

He lets go of the handlebar of the bike only with his right hand and begins smacking the metal band which covers his nape. The blue light which makes his vision flicks again a few times before finally subsiding and stabilizing once again. However, the red line which previously indicated his course, as well as the radar and music, are gone, only leaving him with in Visor Mode again. He sighs, defeated.

At least, he has reached his destination.

"Goddammit, the echo isn't functioning yet… and he told me it was already working…" He grumbles under his breath. "Serves me right for taking his word for granted…"

Grey reaches into the shore. Thankfully, there's a small beach, so Grey rides right into it, over the sand. The Hydro-bike's rotor roars angrily as it leaves the water and reaches into solid ground, although it eventually silences down as Grey turns off the motor, drops from the bike and starts dragging it along as he walks into the land. He eventually moves deep enough as so the waves don't reach the bike.

He reaches into the handlebar, where he strikes a few keys into the small numerical keyboard embedded on the accelerator, and with it, locks down the bike. With it secured, no one but him may take it. He separates from the vehicle absent-mindedly, as he now reaches into his left ear and holds his index and middle fingertips against the sleek and round metallic piece over his hear.

"Reboot: Course navigator" He says. He waits for a few seconds, but nothing happens again. "Ah dammit".

He smacks the device's left side a few more times, thankfully, this time it does work, and the red line which had been on his vision minutes ago reappears. He makes no effort to restore the music, though.

Grey's face is hidden behind a visor, with his eyes under a thick layer of darkened glass, dark enough to not show his features, said glass is polarized in that way, to not allow to see the face of the wearer, while making the opposite perfectly possible. The lower front half of his face, meaning his nose and mouth, are covered behind a hard plastic mask, while his ears are covered with two matching pieces of dull and scratched metal, pieces which resemble headphones. The whole mask is supported by a metal band which runs across the back side of his head… and is _somewhat_ attached to him. This _visor_ allows Grey to use multiple contextual forms of vision which include radars and various other functions… when the darned thing feels like working. Only his forehead and hair are visible, which clearly show a short mane of dirty brown hair sleeked backwards, although the darkness of the night doesn't allow to really see it with detail.

Grey stands at around 1.80 meters high, with about 92 kilos of weight, most of those courtesy of the various pieces of gear and equipment he carries with him. He sports a tattered brown poncho around his neck, which reaches just below his waist. Not only does the poncho keep the cold, rain and so away and serve to cover his head with its hood, it also hides (albeit not that spectacularly) the various pouches and fanny on his belt which contains most of his important goods as well as digistructed weapons… and looks slick as hell, at least according to him. Underneath the poncho he wears a simple olive-green cotton shirt, shirt which already shows its use through multiple holes here and there, various patches of mismatched colors as well as makeshift bandages, and an incomplete right sleeve where otherwise both should reach for his wrists; there's a shoulder holster under his left arm, holster which keeps a loaded Dahl Blitz Repeater ready to be picked at any time should he not have the time to call for a weapon from his fanny. His hands are covered in fingerless leather gloves, faded and blackened from continuous use. The modified combat pants he's wearing have many ammo and utility pouches fitted along the large belt, which contain a few magazines, maps, and a plethora of junk only he knows what's supposed to be doing there as well as a quality Tediore Instant Shield, as most of the space of his digistructing fanny is reserved for weapons, resources and food. His slim figure is well built, result of years of "misspending his youth", as he puts it. Barely over 21 years old, his face remains hidden thanks to the gadget. His worn shoes have only stayed together thanks to the metal plates and makeshift patches he has put into the soles and vamps to increase their lifespan just a little bit longer. On his elbows and knees he wears Dahl military guards to allow him to maneuver harshly without the risk of scratching them and becoming a nuisance with it.

He makes use of the reactivated cursor to leave the beach and walk into the jungle, following the red marker's directions. Instinctively, he reaches for the fanny on his rear, presses one of the buttons, and calls forth his trusted Practicable Thinking (Shock-flavored), his favorite Shotgun and partner, manufactured by Hyperion and customized by none other than himself, which allows him 8 pellets per trigger squeeze with a reasonable amount of shots in the magazine and a respectable (albeit not incredible) firepower. His other quick choices are a burning Dahl Deft Falcon SMG for standard use, and finally, a slagging Gentleman's Corinthian, a powerful rifle which Grey favors to pick out enemies from afar. He has more weapons to choose from, but these three along with the Repeater under his shoulder are his to-go options. To him, it's all about being ready for everything, and these have saved him numerous times. Granted, none of these weapons are spectacular outside of his custom Thinking, which he armed by himself after… _borrowing_ the high-quality barrel from a dead bandit, followed by getting the parts which he preferred. Said process took a lot longer than he had expected, but never before had he ever had a gun which he could feel he could call "his own", even if the barrel had been taken from a corpse… The black and red casing of the gun had lost lots of its true shine, and the gold accents were opaque and scratched all around, but his constant maintenance to the workings of the gun had kept it very functional.

He didn't really care about the visuals, so it worked for him.

That, and Grey's making a much better use of it that that corpse would ever do out of it, so he likes to think it's a fair trade. The one he had taken the barrel from had been a bandit in the first place, so finders? Keepers. He keeps the gun's stock near his shoulder, holding firmly both grips, ready for anything…

Well, _anything_ may sound pretentious.

Since in the planet of Chariot, losing your life to something otherwise stupid isn't uncommon.

Born and raised on the aquatic planet of Chariot never was something to brag about. Covered roughly 95% in water, Chariot's surface is a harsh one to survive. One may think that with such large amounts of water, becoming a fisherman would be a genius movement.

Except that it isn't.

Chariot has a stable climate to live in when compared to most inhabitable planets. It has high quantities of oxygen compared to the usual colonies, which has let the raising of various forms of floral life in the form of controlled greenhouses, and in return, create many jobs as gardeners.

Not a job that many consider glamorous, but hey, when it comes to money, only the money itself is important when the job pays well. That, and the fact that fruits and vegetables are hard to come by nowadays.

That's not to say that there aren't other jobs to do. Even if by today's standards fossil oil is obsolete, there are still ways to make use of it, not only as a fuel as humans did thousands of years ago, but as a primary resource to manufacture other products.

Hey, even plastic has its uses on this day and age.

Also, there are _those_ who like to live dangerously and test their guts (or ignorance, Grey thinks personally) by challenging the creatures of the sea.

The sea creatures is where Chariot gets most of its disrepute. Sure, there have been several hundreds of ships that've been sunk thanks to them on all these past decades, but that's mainly because humans still didn't understand how these creatures worked. It's become a whole field of research by itself, to learn how the sea creatures of Chariot work. Thankfully, most of the (humanly) covered terrain and seas of Chariot have been explored, investigated and documented for the public use, so right now, unless you really go daredevil and get into sectors that haven't been explored (Or the Blackwaters), you can pretty much navigate to anywhere without much trouble. There are designated areas which changed according to the season/time, becoming either freely passable or dangerous to traverse, which makes moving around Chariot easy.

Sadly, the main problem isn't the creatures. It's the goddamned pirates.

Chariot is a planet which has a lot of water, and there is _a lot_ of it, so much that even to this day the little land that is there to explore has had some sort of human touch to some degree with little exceptions. That is, if said islands or archipelagos had anything to offer in the first place, they were prone to get occupied by groups of people and settle there… until bandits and criminals started grouping together and started a whole business of good ol' piracy. No one wants to go to a literal _backwater_ planet to search for criminals, after all. Coupled with the infamous Leviathans and bizarre marine creatures, there are not too many good reasons to move into Chariot.

Unless of course, you've heeded the call of the "Empty Braver".

Grey was born in Chariot, and has lived in there since. And living in Chariot is _tough_. Not much due to the marine creatures or pirates, or even the corporates which have also recently been stepping their ground thanks to the aforementioned call.

Apparently, rumor's come that there is an Eridian Vault hidden in Chariot. After the fiasco that befell Pandora some years ago, those who were involved with the incident were reluctant to do it all again. Atlas and Hyperion had been more than enough for those soughing the alien vault to understand that there was _a lot_ that could go wrong should they follow through. The giants fall the hardest, and with nothing ventured, nothing was lost.

The "Empty Braver" heeded a call all around Chariot to seek those who wished to search for the Vault. A worldwide announcement which piqued the curiosity of many, but only a few decided to follow through. No one knows why or how, but this "Empty Braver", as it itself calls it, has hijacked the ECHOnet of Chariot, and has embedded itself deeply into most forms of ordinary communications, allowing it to reach anyone who's linked to the net. That was how Grey was reached by this entity. It's not clear whether this is some form of A.I., or if there's actually someone behind that name, the only thing known for real is that this Braver is leading people into the Vault, or at least apparently. With what happened a few years ago in Pandora, many are skeptical.

Is this Vault real? Can this Empty Braver even be trusted? No one knows. But Grey has decided to follow through anyways.

The Empty Braver has given missions to those who have taken upon the challenge. At first, they were senseless missions with little profit. However, each time a mission was turned in to the Empty Braver, a new mission would be immediately given. They started with menial tasks, going in and out from places, shooting pirates and simple stuff, and as the missions progressed, the rewards started getting better. With just his last mission, Grey had scored a couple thousand bucks just for cleaning some trash out of a hijacked ship.

And eventually, one day, one mission was handed to Grey.

The mission details were vague at best. Grey was just given the directions of where to go, and just a strange directives to follow a strange sign he had never seen before.

電.

That was the symbol which Grey found within the directives. He was only told to follow that symbol, and was given a GPS coordinate of _somewhere_ in Chariot.

Following said coordinates had now led him here, into a small forsaken island somewhere around the eastern seas.

The seas were divided in four main quadrants, if they could even be called that. Named after each cardinal direction, with "Midgar" being the point of origin, the central point of Chariot were apparently the first inhabitants of Chariot settled in, all the seas were split accordingly. All the seas reached back and forth with a few sparse islands and archipelagos scattered around the planet. The only real unexplored parts of Chariot lies in what's called the Blackwaters, places infested with the biggest marine creatures, and where only one looking for death would go. The Blackwaters are a sector in the north-eastern seas which all inhabitants of Chariot avoid. Thankfully, the Blackwaters seem to be static, and for reasons still researched, the creatures which reside there don't really leave the place.

So, after a few days of nonstop sailing on his Hydro-bike, Grey reached the place where he was supposed to be at.

The scenery, now that he had reached the depths of the island, had become a heavy jungle brimming with greenery. Grey didn't have the time nor desire to stop and marvel at his surroundings, instead following the marker, leading him deep into the tropical jungle.

He kept an eye on his surroundings still, keeping a close eye on the various nocturnal creatures that had become curious and aware of the human's presence. Trotting with light steps, Grey soon reached a clearing. The navigator cursor indicated roughly the opposite end of the clearing with a pulsing diamond.

The air was hot with humidity, and it was beginning to dig in Grey's face. The visor, for all intents a purposes, was a chore to keep on when the temperatures were too high or too low. However, he wasn't sure what he would find, so decided against his comfort and kept his headgear on.

Grey soon reached the point which was indicated by the map.

…

…

…

…

"Now wha- WHOA! ".

***Bleep Bleep Bleep!***

His ECHO had blasted the air with a notification, surprising him. He had been moments away from shooting the whole place.

Collecting himself, Grey called for the ECHO display after making sure there were no signatures coming for him, and a blue hologram screen appeared at his command.

 _"_ _Huh… weird"_ Grey thought. The screen which would normally show his inventory was blank, completely blank, just a blue screen. He blinked a few times in confusion.

He reached for the screen with his right index, and suddenly, the ECHO flashed once again and finally showed its contents.

The screen consisted of several divisions divided by tabs: One for GPS and map indicated by a compass and map icon, another for the inventory of the linked fanny at his waist indicated by an icon consisting of a gun and a dollar sign, a third one displaying his missions with an icon of a diamond, a fourth one with a "V", which was reserved for connecting with the visor…

"Wait, WHAT!?" Grey exclaimed as he examined further his ECHO.

Alongside usual tabs now laid another two he had never seen before. One tab had a bizarre icon which consisted of mangled code, it was an ineligible blur of lines and numbers which even reached outside the icon itself, and Grey couldn't access the contents of said tab. The other one had a tab with two unfamiliar symbols which he couldn't understand: 編成, although said symbols were similar to the one he had been told to follow in his latest mission from the Empty Braver. Unlike the other new tab, Grey could indeed access this one, however, he was only greeted with a blank sheet over the usual blue background; said sheet indicated that it could be filled with some sort of information, but at the moment it was blank.

But before he could inspect in detail, his Missions tab beeped, indicating an update. Grey decided to leave the strange new content in his ECHO aside for the moment.

After touching the diamond icon on top of the hologram, the screen slid to a list comprised of various text lines. After inspecting closely the list, Grey found that his current mission's contents had changed.

 _"_ _Look out for_ _電_ _, your objective is just ahead of you. Check the surroundings."_

Always vague and always unhelpful. Like this were all the missions the Empty Braver had handed to Grey.

"Just 'check the surroundings?' Can't you be more specific?" Grey spoke aloud.

He creeped out when the text updated once again, as if it was responding to him.

 _"_ _Use your brain"._

"O…kay?" Grey closed the ECHO, as if that would solve the fact that he was being _stalked_ , and quite closely at that.

Taking a deep breath, Grey took the time to inspect his surroundings as told. The clock in his visor now marked 3:56 a.m., roughly an hour had passed since Grey had set foot on the island.

"Full Vision: Switch to Thermal" Grey spoke, and his vision was engulfed in a world of purple. All his surroundings had turned to a deep violet shade, while anything of a higher or lower temperature would turn to either red and yellow, or blue and black according to its temperature. The reason why everything was a vibrant purple was to the high ambient temperature, although solid objects such as the ground and trees had a shade which moved closer to blue. Since it was nighttime, no matter how hot the ambient was, there was no sun to heat things up.

However, there was nothing. Grey turned his way on every direction around the clearing, but there was nothing in any direction.

Thermal vision was not going to cut it.

"Full Vision: Switch to Echo" Grey spoke once again.

Thankfully, Full Echo (Not to be confused with the ECHO) was working. The Echo Radar wasn't, but in this situation, he only required the whole of it. Why did a lesser form of the feature didn't work was beyond him, but he'd just roll with it.

His vision became almost pitch-black. The point of the Echo vision was that it exchanged full visibility for that of a sonar-based one, similar to that of some blind animals. While Echo was active, a sonic wave would constantly bounce back from objects, creating a sound-based image. It wasn't convenient to use all around, however, it had a particular use, which Grey was using now. The wave produced by the Echo would detect any other sound waves, and in return, allow Grey to "see" if there were any other signatures emitting waves, which was particularly useful for finding signals, mainly communication ones. With it, Grey could detect if there were hidden bandits or pirates using communications for searching for help or such.

And lo and behold, there was a signal, albeit a very weak one, detected by the Echo. Following the visor, Grey found out that the signal was coming from below the ground.

"Full Vision: Switch to X-Ray" Grey said clearly now.

And his vision now left the almost-perpetual darkness and changed to a grey one. Pretty self-explanatory, the X-Ray allowed him to see through most things. There were various metals and objects Grey couldn't see through, because the X-Ray embedded on his helmet was very weak, but for a makeshift augmentation, it proved useful.

After observing around the ground, Grey finally picked something up. Buried not too deeply, was a large… box? Grey couldn't really pick anything conclusive about it, but he definitely managed to see something underground. The visor determined that this thing was buried just a few meters beneath the ground.

"So… How do I go on about this…?" Grey muttered aloud.

He hadn't brought any form of shovel or digging equipment with him. This was a bad joke. Why did the Empty Braver lead him here without any prior warning or even a hint?

Well, he was used to not being told stuff, but nonetheless, it left him with a sour mouth.

"Visor and mask: Off" He muttered under his breath, and the device responded by retracting its pieces out of Grey's face. The visor split and each symmetrical half slid outwards onto the ear pieces, and then was followed by the mask, which also opened and retracted inside the ear pieces.

Grey welcomed the fresh air with delight. He stretched his arms upwards, hearing a few cracks from his shoulders.

"What to do now?" Grey wondered. He had no equipment to dig this thing out, but he sure as hell wouldn't let that stop him.

Crouching just above the buried object's place, Grey reached out for the ground with his hand.

The soil is wet, result of multiple days of continuous rain, the ground is mushy, and most likely won't offer too much resistance. How deep does the filtered water reach, he doesn't know, so he could only hope the idea that then formed inside his head would work. Using his bare hands as shovels, Grey picked out a small amount of dirt, just enough to leave a somewhat deep and small hole, broad enough for almost his whole right arm to fit into.

Standing up and reaching for his pouches afterwards, Grey picked three small metallic spheres outlined with blue streaks and green lights at the same time he opened his ECHO once again.

These small objects in his hands were grenades.

"Hey, Braver, you might as well tell me since I already know you're stalking me" Grey spoke as he switched to his missions tab. "Would that thing survive a few blasts?"

He waited a few seconds.

 _"_ _Just one"._

Grinning from ear to ear at the response, Grey took one of the spheres and dug his finger inside it. The explosive's dark fumes indicated that it was primed and ready. Quickly, Grey dropped the grenade into the ground and jumped backwards with two big hops.

"Visor and mask: On!" Grey yells as his face is covered again and drops belly-first to the ground.

A small gust of air suddenly blows into the grenade, pulling stray leaves and small sticks into it, as well as pulling the shoveled dirt back into the hole. The crack is unevenly covered again as the dirt reaches for the center…

And then everything blew up into the sky with a loud bang, a whole bunch of mud flying everywhere, splatting the clearing. After also receiving himself a few spots of dirt, Grey stands up again to observe the result of his impromptu excavation.

To his delight, he finds that he indeed reached deep into the ground, partially revealing a metallic corner of something that seems to be a box. The crater from the blast is barely longer than a meter deep in radius, but all in all, the result was a success. Dropping from the border, Grey rushed into the treasure.

It was just the upper part of it, but it definitely was what he was looking for. The upper part of it was now out, which revealed what Grey guessed was a metallic, rectangular container of some sort. After taking the dirt off of the top, Grey found a symbol embedded on it.

電.

Once again, Grey had stumbled across this particular symbol. Taking off more dirt from the lid, Grey managed to uncover the whole upper portion of the box, revealing a streamlined container with various plates and numbers embedded on it, for some reason, there were two holes on the side of the box, which made Grey think that these were meant to grab this box. However, it still wasn't enough. More than half of the box was still buried beneath the dirt.

Scratching his forehead, Grey took a moment to consider how to proceed next. Putting another grenade in would surely be counterproductive, as he risked having the dirt collapsing into itself again and leaving him back in square one. He had no shovel, and it would take too much time to dig it all manually. He considered putting more grenades farther from the center, to blow the ground around the box and then put even more grenades to avoid the risk of burying the box again, basically creating one big crater… until he realized that he only had 2 more grenades left. That wouldn't cut it.

Sighing, Grey considered his last option. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was his best shot. If the dirt had been any damaged and separated itself like this thanks to the grenade, it could be possible.

He started winding up his arms and legs for a full 10 minutes, making various stretches and exercises to heat himself up. After all, this could end very badly for him, and through this he reduced the consequences' gravity… albeit not _eliminated_ them.

When he considered he had done enough warming up, Grey placed himself next to the crate, and after crouching knee-first to the ground and planting himself firmly, he grabbed the holes on the sides with both hands and started pulling. Not surprisingly, his first pull had no effect whatsoever.

He sighed, and took a deep breath. He had only tried just like that to rule out the option.

"Overclock: **ON!** " He said clearly as he clenched tighter the corners of the metal casing.

His visor showed on the bottom left corner the word "OVERCLOCK" with capital letters along with a timer that started counting up from 0, the visor's overall color feed changed from a soft blue to a pale red as the Overclock activated.

Grey could immediately feel his strength increasing and all of his senses sharpening. All limitations were removed.

"Come ON!" He yelled angrily as he put more power to his pull.

And surely, the metal crate didn't resist the pull this time. Tightening his grip on the slots, Grey slowly, but surely continued his efforts. He couldn't outright pop it out of the ground, even with his increase in strength, so he did the next thing he could: pull it out. Inch by inch, the box left its tomb.

" **Grrr!** " Grey gritted his teeth, unyielding to the rules of physics.

Overclock forcefully removed the brain's limitations on Grey's body, meaning that he could get access to processing power and strength beyond human restrictions, allowing him to perform feats outside of normalcy. With Overclock active, Grey could muster the strength needed to pull this impossibly heavy piece of metal out, or run, jump and move faster than even the best athletes, or improve his reflexes and cerebral capabilities to that of a genius. That, and also force certain things onto the guns he used, making them capable of doing things they weren't supposed to do… although that was a whole other matter by itself.

Focusing all his strength, Grey pulled the box, eventually feeling that indeed, it was being shoved out of place. He struggled for almost a minute, a very extenuating minute.

But thankfully, the box yielded, and Grey managed to slowly pull it out. As he had expected, even with his increased strength it was too much to ask for lifting up the box into the air. He was able to start taking steps back as soon as half of the box was out, and as soon as he reached that point, the rest was a lot easier in comparison.

"Over…clock… o-off…" He muttered weakly with his task done, retiring his trembling hands from the slots of the box "V-visor and m-mask… off".

And with the deactivation of the Overclock, Grey immediately received a wave of pain, mainly on his shoulders and hands, although his spine also claimed its own share. His legs felt numb, and his feet were like stones. Grey plummeted down to the uneven, inclined dirt with heavy gasps, but quickly pulled himself to his knees. This was not the first time he had done something like this, nor it would be the last, but that didn't mean he enjoyed what resulted of it. The least he could do was make the consequences more bearable.

Overclock, while removing the brain's limitations on the body, didn't make his body any more durable, meaning that he would receive a backlash after doing something that his body couldn't support. Abusing the accelerated thought processing could potentially destroy his brain, abusing the strength would damage his muscles and/or break apart his bones… such were the consequences of using the Overclock without concern. Grey had learned the hard way not to overestimate himself. True, he had been using this "skill" for a long time now, and he had learned to control it to some degree, such as being capable of shutting off his pain receptors when the skill was activated. He had done so only to allow him to focus, since his other heightened senses would quickly become overloaded with the agony. Overclock was a powerful ability, but it could quickly end anyone who was stupid when using it, and Grey wouldn't follow the same steps of those before him.

So, with the extraction of the box with the help from Overclock, Grey was now feeling the misery of almost tearing his own limbs apart. He had been careful enough as to not overdo it and break any bones or dislocate nor tear out any muscle, but there was unescapable injury in the form of various internal wounds, nothing that was fatal, but that would ache until he fixed himself. Grey decided to take his time and let the pain subside.

Once a few minutes had passed, he managed to catch his breath and make the pain a second thought. Once he went back he could mend himself, but right now, his focus was centered on the treasure he had unburied.

Picking his body up from the ground, Grey climbed onto the crate, which now lied horizontally on the floor.

The box was about 2 meters high, 1 long and almost 80 centimeters wide, made from quite a durable bluish silver metal which survived with no scratches the explosion of a Singularity hand grenade. It had several streaks of black all around the casing, and what appeared to be a lid of some sorts on one of its larger faces, face which Grey supposed was the front, said lid had some sort of computer installed behind a layer of clear glass, and the symbol電 once again embedded on the center of it. The top and bottom parts of the crate were very thick, sticking out from the otherwise slim and smooth surface. There was no telling what was inside the crate.

Grey reached out for the terminal on the lid, and as soon as his hand reached the glass panel, it slid to the side, giving him access. As soon as the glass retired, a soft hum came from the crate, and the black screen inside the terminal began glowing with a dim green light. The terminal consisted only of said screen and a strange orifice no larger than a finger. Motioning towards the unknown device, Grey realized that he had no idea what he was doing.

He stood still for a few seconds over the camera, before the box produced another hum, this one louder than the last one. Grey was mildly surprised when the screen flashed the icon of a hand in it.

Doing as prompted, Grey reached for the screen and placed his right hand on it. The screen blinked and produced yet another sound as if accepting something. After that, Grey retired his hand from the screen, and was now receiving another command. This time, the screen had the icon of an eye and an arrow, and the arrow pointed towards the orifice next to the screen.

 _"_ _Okay, what is all this about?"_ Grey wondered in his mind.

Doing as told, grey moved his head right onto the terminal, which resulted somewhat awkward as the box was lying on the ground. The slot was made somewhat ergonomically, allowing Grey to place his head in a cushion while still fitting his eye on the orifice. Grey's peripheral vision was greeted by a line of light that swayed up and down multiple times over his eye. Grey didn't move an inch as the light moved back and forth, realizing that this thing was some sort of eye scanner.

However, he didn't expect something to deliberately poke his eye.

"GAH!" Grey yelped in pain, jumping and falling from the box down to the dirt. He didn't realize when, but there had been a freaking _needle_ inside the scanner. Said needle pneumatically pierced his retina without warning before retracting in less than a fraction of a second. It had been a nasty surprise. "Son of a bitch!"

If there was one thing Grey _absolutely_ hated, it was when his eyes were meddled with. And now, he had a headache to accompany his injured eye. Just _great…_

There was nothing he could have done nor do now about it, though, except close his eye and swallow the pain.

He'd still complain, nonetheless.

"From all the things that could have…!" Grey started, but was interrupted by a loud noise. He turned to the crate again, the origin of the sounds.

The crate produced yet more sounds and beeps. With a closed right eye, Grey picked himself up from the floor and walked again upon the terminal, to find that there were numbers and text rapidly flashing across the screen, Grey spotted a percentage in particular on the top of the screen which was increasing.

_Admiralty Protocol… Established… 45%_

_Security Protocols… Engaged… 52%_

_Establishing Thresholds… Done… 64%_

_Booting memory files…_

_Error, memory files found: 0_

_Rebooting memory system… ERROR…_

Grey's eyes widened at this.

_Exception occurred._

_Memory files missing._

_Attempting to restore sysTrRENCMBVBDK89y6-$/)!_

_010011010100010101001101010011110101001001011001_

_0101000001001100010001010100000101010011010001010010000001000110010011110101001001000111010010010101011001000101001000000100110101000101_

_01001001001000000100010001001111010011100010011101010100001000000101011101000001010011100101010000100000010101000100111100100000010001100100111101010010010001110100010101010100_

_01001001001000000100010001001111010011100010011101010100001000000101011101000001010011100101010000100000010101000100111100100000010001100100111101010010010001110100010101010100_

_010010010010000001000100010011110100111000100111010101000010000001010111010000010100111001010100001000000101010001001111001000000100011001001111010100100100011101000101010101000010000001000001010011100101100101001101010011110101001001000101001000010010000100100001_

_0100100100100000010001000100111101001110001111110101010000100000010101110100000101001110010101000010000001010100010011110010000001000100010010010101001101000001010100000101000001000101010000010101001000100001_

_010010000100010101001100010100000010000001001101010001010010000001010000010011000100010101000001010100110100010100100001_

_…_

_…_

The screen that Grey had been seeing froze completely after dumping all those numbers. However, his surprise was short lived as the screen turned off and flicked on once again, having eliminated all those ones and zeroes from the small terminal.

_…_

_…_

_Backing System… Done… 80%_

_Mainframe… Online… 88%_

_91%_

_96%_

_Deactivating Hibernation…_

_97%_

_98%_

_99%_

_…_ _Done_

_All Systems Online_

Grey felt honestly creeped after the machine's freak-out. Whatever had happened on that terminal, it had been clearly grave.

However, he was unable to think of it any further as a pneumatic whoosh buzzed from the crate. Hot wind blew from the lid outwards with an angry wheezing. The machine continued blowing steam out for a few seconds before letting up as abruptly as it had begun.

Grey instinctively took a step back and held his shotgun up, at the same time his helmet primed and covered his face. With a pounding heart, he kept his functioning eye glued to the box.

After a brief stop, the crate gave one final gust of vapor out as the lid skid upwards, opening the case.

…

One second…

Three seconds…

Ten seconds…

Grey's heartbeat resounded within his ears.

 _"_ _What the hell is going on!?"_ Grey screamed bloody murder inside his head.

However, nothing happened. Grey waited for almost a minute, and _nothing_ happened.

Deciding against all common sense, Grey took slow cautious steps towards the opened box. Keeping his gun to the front, he aimed the gun inside along with his vision.

He was unable to keep his damaged eye closed.

 **"** **ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?"**

Inside the metal casing was an either unconscious or sleeping girl. This girl could barely be 13 or 15 years old, or so Grey thought at the moment. She had chestnut brown hair tied behind her nape with a plastic brooch, barely reaching her neck, and porcelain white skin. Her clothes resulted unfamiliar to Grey, which included some form of large-sleeved white blouse decorated with a dark grey neck with white accents and an opaque red ribbon on her chest, a matching dark gray skirt and socks, and a pair of simple leather shoes to complete her attire. Her attire was simple, and unlike anything Grey had seen before in Chariot. Maybe she was from another planet or somewhere?

The girl in question had her eyes closed, and through a closer observation, Grey realized that she was in fact, breathing. Grey hesitated at first, but in the end retired his shotgun back into the fanny and reached inside for the girl.

She was light, very light. Grey was reminded of his sister when he picked her up. Upon closer inspection, he realized that she in fact was much younger than he was, maybe a bit older than his sister. Her face was round and cute, befitting her short height and apparent youth.

After he taking her out of the box, Grey knelt with the girl still in his arms.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, placing his middle and ring fingers on her neck to check her pulse, to find that she indeed was alive. However, she still wasn't waking up.

"Goddammit. What now?" Grey wondered aloud, followed by calling for the ECHO and moving onto the mission tabs, but finding that no changes at all. "This must be some kind of sick joke…"

 _"_ _Wait, this is freaking Chariot"_ Grey completed his own thoughts, sighing in defeat. _"Murder, cannibalism and robbery happens every Tuesday, and that's not counting the_ _ **rest**_ _of it…"_.

After staring for a few seconds at his unchanged log, Grey realized that one of the new tabs of his ECHO, the one with the weird symbols was indicating an update.

Curious, he switched to that tab to find something new on the previously blank screen.

There's that symbol once again: _"_ _電_ _"_.

And also, there's a button with a prompt just at the right of that symbol: _"_ _確認_ _"_.

He didn't understand a thing, but decided to press it nonetheless, to be greeted with a window:

 _"_ _確認？_ _"_

The title read, and there were two options for it: _"_ _はい_ _"_ indicated with a green font, and _"_ _否_ _"_ , indicated with red font.

"Uh… what? What the hell am I looking at here?"

And, as if responding, the ECHO forcefully closed itself, only to reboot again and show the same screen he had been seeing just a few moments ago, only that this time, the previous window now showed a message in letters he could understand.

 _"_ _Accept?"_

With the options below _"Yes"_ with green font, and _"No"_ in red.

"Accept what?" Grey muttered aloud, but something inside him told him that it's obvious.

He looks down to the girl in his arms, of course the prompt is referring to her. If there's anything to go by, the symbol he'd been following this whole time refers to this girl, and now the Empty Braver, through the hacked ECHO, was asking Grey if he'd accept this girl. In which manner he didn't understand, there was nothing clear about all this, there _never_ was anything clear about anything since the beginning.

He didn't understand why or how, but this girl had been shoved onto him, and it was upon him to either take her or leave her.

Grey sighed. He wasn't keen on surprises, even if his line of job was full of them at every twist and corner, but this was taking it on another whole level.

"This is for real, right?" Grey muttered in defeat. The silence seemed to confirm it.

What were the options? What was at stake? He was still unsure of all the details that entailed this mad quest for the Vault, the only lead being the Empty Braver, and yet still, Grey had nothing to go from. The Empty Braver claimed to know where the Vault was, but there were no hard facts or evidence to prove it… although there also wasn't anything to do the opposite neither.

It all came down to the question: "Will you go through or not?"

Sighing in frustration, Grey decided to go through. By now, he has enough reasons and bullets to go through with this. Clicking on the green "Yes", the screen flickers in confirmation before returning once again.

Grey's greeted by a big notification.

**_CONGRATULATIONS!_ **

**_You've accepted ownership of your first Ship Girl, and thus, become an official Admiral!_ **

**_Think of this as a friendly welcome from the Empty Braver! As of the moment you accepted, you've become an official candidate for finding the Vault! But hey, don't think that this is all about the Vault, because you're going to need to take care of your Ship Girl!_ **

Grey had no idea what all this was about, and his face was enough to convey the feeling. He kept reading forward.

**_For those of you who've been following through with the missions that have been handled up to this point, your journey is just beginning! You're going to need your Ship Girls in your quest for glory and fame! They WILL be needed to find the Vault, so you'd better keep them around at all moments!_ **

**_The moment you turn this quest in, you'll be prompted the location of your next Ship Girl, but hurry, because someone may beat you to it!_ **

**_Godspeed, new Admiral! May you find your way!_ **

**_The Empty Braver_ **

Grey had only one thought after reading this. Turning back to the girl in his arms, he gave a deep sigh.

 _"_ _This is gonna suck…"_


	2. Encounter

When it comes to girls, Grey has to admit that he has _no_ idea of how to deal with them. Granted, he has a sister, one he seriously adores and nurtures, he also loves his mother. Then… there's Danny too… although he refuses to acknowledge the techno-nut as a woman.

There is a difference between his sister and those females, though, they are… _them_ , as idiotic as that sounds. Grey's known them for his whole life, but he's had pretty much zero interaction with the opposite sex in all his life. He could justify so in the basis that he's been working his lone ass off ever since he left his home, and the fact that his life has pretty much consisted of shooting, not talking, and even less forming relationships.

Yeah, he's never had a girlfriend ever. How he feels about it is a matter of just asking. It wasn't that he swung the other way, neither, even if in Chariot there were all kinds of sexualities. Grey once encountered a bandit who had a severe (read: **_bizarre_** ) case of loving his boat to the point of creepiness. Grey doesn't like to judge, though.

This pretty much sums up why he has no idea of what to do with the girl in his arms. It's been minutes ever since he closed his ECHO and focused his attention on the sleeping cutie in his arms.

Yeah, he has to admit that this girl _is_ pretty cute. Actually, cuter than anyone else he has ever seen… although most of his interactions have been with either women who've wanted to kill him, disfigured and mutated through slag addiction… or both. But back onto _this_ girl, there was something strange about her, though. He couldn't quite place the reason, since no matter how he looked at her she was just a normal girl, albeit one wearing clothes he was very unfamiliar with, and the fact that she had come out of a freaking _box_ , which was _buried_ on an island in the middle of _nowhere_ from all places were good reasons for her to qualify as extraordinary. How long had she been in that box, he didn't know, why she was there in the first place was unknown as well, so he could only guess the answers to both questions.

Although, that _why_ was seriously bugged him in all the wrong ways. She was connected to the Empty Braver, and that was definitive. Grey had been led to this girl by it, after all.

Grey calls for his Visor to check on the clock. 5:01 a.m.

Dawn's usually never good for business. Everything's easier to see under the sun, and pirates, as mad as they were, knew this. Thankfully, he had been careful to not let anyone know he was here, and also, the fact that this was an island in the middle of nowhere helped. Of course he couldn't rule out that there could be Pirates lurking nearby, however, he considered the situation at hand more pressing. The sky is already getting a clearer shade of blue, and although the sun hasn't come out yet, the lack of trees in the vicinity is letting enough light to see without problems.

Grey hesitates upon what to do next. He's accepted the girl, but _what_ is he supposed to do now? Bring her back with him as dead weight to a medic? She doesn't seem ill, has no fever or erratic heart rate, and she seems to be breathing normally. The only thing that worries him is that she's not waking-

"Hnnn…"

Oh…

Grey leaves his thoughts aside.

"…Hey, time to wake up" He says.

The girl in return mumbles a few more times before shifting in his arms. She's finding herself comfortable, it seems…

"Wake up" He calls softly, feeling somewhat awkward. He was treating this girl like his sister.

"Mo… five… minutes…" She responds to him.

Feeling a bit irritated, Grey shoves her a little more forcefully.

"Hey, we _need_ to get out of here soon" He says sternly.

The girl opens up her eyes slowly.

"Huh…?" She mumbles.

"You awake yet?" Grey sighs.

Grey finds himself staring into this girl's eyes. They're brown, which matches her hair, they're round and big, befitting her young face. The girl also finds herself staring at the young man, with her expression dreamy.

But the dreamy expression lives shortly. She doesn't identify immediately the person before her as a human, for this stranger has no human features on his face.

Her eyes shrink in terror.

"HAWAWAWA!" Comes her squeal.

"AGH!" He grunts in response to the following hit.

"Hyuuuh!" She winces after the impact.

The girl rockets upwards into Grey, with both smashing their faces against each other… well, face to mask is more correct. The girl darts upwards quickly without caution, smashing her nose into Grey's visor.

"Owww…" The girl winces, reaching for her nose with her fingers.

Meanwhile, Grey is laying widespread on the ground, with the girl on his lap. He feels like he was hit by a truck. There was no real damage, only that he lost his balance completely at this girl's sudden movement. He still couldn't avoid the light dizziness, though.

"Agh, hey what's the deal!?" Grey growls while he reaches for his own head, still on the ground.

"EEK!" Comes her immediate response as she stumbles backwards and rolls away strenuously from Grey. She hits her nape against the metallic crate with her reflexive scare, and it goes worse because her reverse somersault dropped her down further into the hole.

"Ow!" Comes her response

This was getting nowhere.

Grey stands up slowly, feeling his stomach veer everywhere and nowhere at once. He turns to the girl who just rolled down into the crater, and is sitting on her face as a result, her legs are on top.

"Uwaaaah…" She whimpers, clearly not better than he is.

Grey takes a moment to let the image of a girl sitting on her face sink in.

"…White" He mumbles at the glorious discovery before giving himself a mental slap. "Wait, this isn't the time!"

He rushes to the self-beaten girl and helps her to sit correctly again.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you understand me?" He says.

The girl takes a moment to gain semblance. Once she registers that there's an unknown person near her again, she freezes.

"Hey, what's the matter? You hurting somewhere?" Grey asks, but there is no response. If he had taken a moment to be if even just a bit more observant, he'd realize that the girl was absolutely _terrified_ of him.

"P-please…" Came her tiny voice, but Grey didn't understand what she said.

"Huh? What did you say?" He responds hoarsely.

"P-please don't EAT ME!" She exclaims in a nervous wreck.

…

…

…

…

"Not into that stuff, thank you. I'm good with animal meat, though" Grey responds honestly.

No more words.

"Hey, I'm serious" He elaborates sincerely. "I know that cannibalism's become a lot commoner recently, but I'm not into that, word".

_"_ _Great job, Arkham, as if anyone'd take your word for granted on Chariot"_ He gives himself another mental slap.

"…"

"…"

"…I-Is that t-true, nanodesu?" She answers eventually.

Grey's eyes became plates behind his mask.

"U-U… yes?" He follows, confused.

…

…

…

…

"O-okay then, I'm very sorry, K-Kamen-san" She meekly says.

Grey takes a second to process what she just said.

"Sorry, Ka-what?"

The girl skips once again in place. Was she that scared of him?

"Uh… uh…." She stammers a bit, and then motions with her hands to her face.

It takes three seconds for the light bulb to turn on.

"Oh, is it…? S-sorry" He replies mildly disconcerted. "Visor and mask: Off"

Once the glass and plastic retract, there's a very human face there.

"Sorry, it's a bad habit. Since I wear it all the time I often forget I have it on, sorry about that".

Of course, being greeted by a strange masked man would make any reasonable young girl flee immediately. Also, there was the fact that this man's attire wasn't exactly forthcoming (Not something that Grey understood, though).

The retired mask revealed a long, angular face with a defined jaw. Grey's face was covered in various scratches, scars and sweat, mainly from using the mask for so long. His eyes were a dark shade of brown, much deeper than those of the girl, and there are dark circles underneath them, the result of a nonstop two day trip, his right eye also remains closed thanks to the needle from earlier, and there's a little blood on his eyelid. On the right side of his head, near what would be the (hidden) ear, was a noticeable burn mark which almost reached his cheek, showing ugly skin in the process of healing. His hair was sleeked backwards, showing his whole forehead. The only thing the girl couldn't see were his hidden ears under the metallic pads, but was immediately able to pick upon him. His nose was long, fitting of his face. Finally, his mouth also had a noticeable scar on the lower lip. His face would normally show a hardened youth, not particularly handsome by his own standards, but right now, he looked unkempt and unpresentable.

"HAWAWAWA!" The girl exclaims after scrutinizing the Vault Hunter, she then proceeds to stand up immediately like a spring that had been compressed, bowing her head before wildly flailing her arms around in an apologetic manner. "C-Commander!"

"I'm _very_ sorry that I didn't recognize you, Commander! Gomenasai! Gomenasai! I-I didn't realize it was you under the mask!"

Grey's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hyuuu! I can't believe I hit the Commander, nanodesu!" She cried.

"Hey, calm down!" Grey calls worriedly. "What's done is done, don't worry about it!"

But his words fall on deaf ears.

"Gomenasai" Gomenasai!" She continues.

The Hunter takes a deep breath. It seems like this won't go anywhere.

"I said **calm down** " Grey raises his voice, his tone with harsh inflection.

"Eek!" The girl cries, but does as told and stops any further sounds.

"Hey, relax, I'm not going to eat you and I'm not angry" Grey elaborates.

However, she still doesn't seem convinced, turning her gaze down to the ground. Shame fills her.

Grey scratches his head.

"I said…" He's about to say something, but realizes he has no idea of what words to use, nor which what to say in the first place.

Grey breathes audibly, causing the girl to look at her Commander from the corner of her eye, although she doesn't dare to gaze directly.

Seconds of awkward silence fill the air, seconds in which neither of the two know what to say. Grey knows that he doesn't know how to talk to girls, and that this situation all by itself is going on a very weird direction, and he has no idea of how to proceed.

It was about ten seconds of silence in that a growl filled the air. Grey's eyebrows quirked: it hadn't been him. Turning at the tiny girl, Grey found out that her face had turned to a vibrant shade of red, and was sweating bullets. Grey laughed to his insides.

"Hungry?" He says casually while reaching for one of the pockets in his pants, and pulls a small packaged energy bar from it, said package is roughly the size of his hand, and has a vibrant red envelope of what seems to be aluminum. He offers it to the girl, who only stares at him with a confused expression.

"Take it" He says. The girl profusely refuses by shaking her head. Grey keeps his hand extended. "Aren't you hungry?"

"N-No, I'm perfectly f-"

She is interrupted by the growl of her stomach. The red of her face escalates several shades deeper.

"Aren't you hungry?" Grey asks with an unamused visage.

No response.

"Aren't you hungry?" Grey repeats, more emphatically this time.

She remains frozen in place for an instant, but nods bashfully in the end.

"Then here" He takes her right hand and gives it to her, placing it on her open palm. "It'll help for a couple hours, until we get back to Rho".

The girl examines the envelope curiously before opening it up. She finds that inside the package is a curious and bulky lump of yellow matter, which smells like sugar.

"Itadakimasu" Grey hears her say. She takes a small bite from the synthetic food, and her tongue is greeted with an overly sweet flavor that permeates her whole mouth. She isn't quite sure of exactly what she's tasting, but its candy-like texture is pleasant, albeit a bit chewy. She immediately gulps down the rest of the bar with big bites, and gives a satisfied moan after swallowing the chunks of godsend ambrosia.

"Better?" Grey asks.

She takes a moment before responding. In all honesty, Grey's getting slightly irked at her distant demeanor.

"Y-Yes… it was delicious, nanodesu…" She says in a tiny voice.

For a moment, Grey saw that she had a fierce expression.

"T-thank you" She articulates somewhat forcefully, as if she had trouble speaking.

"No problem" Grey answers calmly. Now that she had eaten, her mood had visibly improved.

However, Grey still had questions.

"Let's try this again" The young man says. "My name is Grey, Grey Arkham, occupation: Freelancer, currently hunting the Vault of Chariot"

"Ah!? I mean, right!" The girl flinches awkwardly, not really understanding what he means "It's nice to meet you, Commander! Please forgive me for my rude behavior before! I am…"

She stops dead in her tracks, her mouth agape.

"H-Huh?" She hesitates.

_"_ _Goddamn, this girl is a wreck"_ Grey thinks and gives a deep sigh. The short girl then takes both her hands to her head, with her expression clearly becoming distressed.

"I-I am…" She stutters. "…Who?"

" **Who am I**?"

…

…

…

"Wait **_WHAT_**?" Grey shrieks, his voice rising several decibels. "What do you mean by **_that_**!?"

"C-Commander! I-I can't remember who I a-am!" The girl utters, with worry quickly filling her tone.

"Wait just a moment!" Grey retorts, also confused. "You call me Commander while you don't even know who you are!? How does _that_ work!?"

The girl is at loss for words. She begins shaking her head involuntarily, even though she's trying to hold herself up. Her legs begin trembling without warning, and she soon begins to quiver completely.

There is _something_ clogging up her memories. No matter how much she tries to recall and remember something, she can't for the life of her get _anything_ out of her memories. She starts feeling dizzy the more she forces herself.

There's something incredibly _wrong_ , and she feels it in every fiber of her body. She doesn't know _what_ is wrong, but knows for certain that there is something amiss. The dizziness turns into full-fledged nausea. Her legs give in, and she falls to the ground, whimpering and almost about to fall into hysteria. She can't recall anything, but w _hy_ can't she!? She feels her stomach convulse. The harder she tries, the worse she feels.

On reaction, Grey quickly grabs her by the shoulders.

"H-Hey! Calm down!" He says desperately.

The girl responds by giving him the most complicated of faces. Anger, fear, confusion, distress, _longing_ , a lot of emotions are showing on her expression, as tears form in her big, brown eyes, and start streaming down her cheeks.

Grey feels obliged to do something uncharacteristic of him. He hesitates at first, but eventually brings her closer to him and gives the crying girl a hug. She seems surprised at first, but eventually relaxes and burrows on his shirt. He isn't the type to be overly affectionate, he thinks, but seeing this girl like this reminded him of his little sister, and he couldn't stand seeing his sister like this.

And he was finding that he also didn't like to see this girl cry. Was it his big brother instinct? Or was it just plain awkwardness? Grey casted all thoughts aside and decided to go with the flow. Hopefully, she won't hate him.

"C-Commander?" She calls.

He doesn't respond.

…

_"_ _Even with the dirt, she smells nice. Reminds me of that greenhouse full of flowers of that time…"_

…

…

…

_"_ _She's so small"_

…

…

…

The minutes pass by, and eventually, the girl slowly pulls herself away from him. Both her and Grey end looking at each other, although she has to tilt her head upwards, while he has to look down.

…

…

_"_ _And cute too"_ Grey admits. She's unlike any girl he's seen in Chariot.

…

…

…

"…My eye kinda itches, if that's what you're thinking. I got poked in the eye for you, you know? I'm no pirate, at least yet… And sorry if I'm all muddy, I had to dig you up with explosives, after all" Grey declares gracelessly.

"…Huh?" She reacts.

There comes a small window of silence.

"Pft! Ha… Hahahahahahaha!" The girl suddenly laughs. Her voice melodious yet sorrowful. Her hands reach for her mouth as she tries to suppress the rest of her cute fit.

"That's all it took to make you laugh!?" Grey cries somewhat vexed. Not that he's not relieved to hear her laughing, as he finds that he prefers it infinitely over her previous crying. "Come on! There are far better jokes than that! That was just lame!"

The girl clears her face with her sleeve, and gives a teary smile to the Hunter.

"E-even then, thank you" She beams radiantly. "Thank you for cheering me up, or at least try to, nanodesu"

Grey scratches the nape of his neck awkwardly. Both girl and boy give a deep breath each.

"Better now?" Grey asks his fellow auburn.

"Yes… much better, thank you" She responds warmly.

Grey stands up from his kneeling position beside the girl, while also offering his hand to her, which she takes. After both stand up, they take a moment to beat what little dirt they've got in their clothes and skin, result from the various gymnastics Grey had been pulling all the night in his case in his case, and in hers, the rollout after she woke up. They had only needed that much to become covered in mud almost from head to toe. The girl took a moment to run her hands through her hair, taking out a few specks and grains of dirt out, but she was certain that she'd need a bath. Meanwhile, Grey took off his poncho and also shook it in the air, as he did get mud on his clothes even with it on.

Taking this chance to talk, Grey spoke.

"I found you inside there, but maybe there's something you can recall from it?"

The girl stops dusting off her blouse for a second at his question, then turns to the nearby metal crate. Hesitant, she closes in to the box.

She feels a knot in her throat with each step she takes, as if something told her to stay away from that box, but she couldn't let the opportunity pass. Biting her lip, she moved her gaze inside the hollow box. She feels a bit of nausea at the sight of the inside, but suppresses it in favor of going through. Standing still with reluctance, she's soon joined by Grey.

The inside of the box holds a cushion with an outline made to resemble a human figure, outline which both supposed was meant for her to fit in. There are cables and needles around the box. As soon as she sees the needles, she shudders and instinctively reaches for her wrists. This doesn't pass unnoticed by Grey.

There's also that particular symbol once again: 電, said symbol is marked distinctively on the center of the cushion, the same symbol Grey had been told to follow all this time. The symbol is marked in a round emblem, which seems to be made of some form of glass. Grey recalls seeing that symbol all around the box… and on his ECHO as well just a few minutes ago.

He quickly calls for it, and moves to that tab which had prompted him to "accept" the girl. Not surprisingly, the symbol is still there, and what's more: There are various new options next to the symbol. Of course, he doesn't understand what any of these mean yet, but for now there are three buttons on the right side of the screen: One with the symbol 格, and another with the symbols装置in the same space; the third button piques his curiosity, as it has clearly the word _"SKILL"_ written in it with letters he can understand. He clicks the button with _SKILL_ written on it, but finds that it does nothing at all.

_"_ _What a piece of junk…"_ Grey thinks dryly.

Dismissing the unresponsive button, He moves onto the first one with the symbol, which produces a new window upon click, the new screen has a header consisting of the symbol電 and a mugshot of the girl beside him, with something akin to a subtext next to her photo: 暁型駆逐艦.

_"_ _Nope, don't understanding any of this"_ Grey thinks, irritated.

Below those foreign letters were a set of icons accompanied by numbers, icons which included a heart, a square of sorts… an eye, a… cake? He didn't understand anything of that, and dismissed them. Before closing the screen, Grey noted that there was a corrupted text below all the icons. Unlike the other corrupted texts in his glitched ECHO until now, he can barely understand this text:

_"_ _SALVAGE"_ reads the corrupted message. Clicking on it does nothing.

_"_ _Not digging this. Not digging_ _ **any**_ _of this…"_ Grey thinks.

Returning back to the previous screen, Grey presses the button with the symbols 装置 this time.

His irritation increases when he sees just one big word in red font on the new window: _OFFLINE_.

Nothing of interest was gained. Sighing in defeat, Grey closes his ECHO. However, after seeing the screen with the image of the girl, he gets a gut feeling.

"Hey" He calls, focusing his attention back to his companion. "Does that symbol mean anything to you?"

He's about to point at the symbol in the box, but it's then that he realizes that she is already looking at it with a vacant expression.

"Hey, you still with me?"

Cautiously, Grey places his arm on her shoulder.

"…division… commander…" She says lowly, like if she were in a trance, Grey is unable to understand what she's saying.

"…You recalled something?" He asks in a serious tone.

There is a pause before she responds.

"I… I'm not sure" She says. "I mean… I… There are fragments… but… at the same time…"

The girl climbs onto the box and reaches inside it, touching the crystal emblem with her palm. She doesn't really understand how or why she's being pushed to do so, though. She knew that she wouldn't remember anything through such a pointless action, but felt obliged to do it nonetheless.

The girl takes a moment to examine more closely the rest of the box, and now that she's inside, she spots something on the lower part of the box. She moves to it and finds a lever. Curious, she grabs it and pulls it out.

What follows are a new set of pneumatic sounds, similar to the ones when Grey opened the box for the first time.

"Huh!? What did you do!?" Grey shouts, drawing the Repeater in below his shoulder.

"I'm not sure, nanodesu!" She responds, taking a step back.

The sounds are similar to vapor valves that have been released, and after four sets of individual bursts of air, the box stops making more noises for a moment. After a few seconds, the lower part of the box makes a loud click and opens.

Both of them stare intently at the changes in the box. Through closer observation, they realize that something is sticking out. Without warning, the girl takes a step forward.

"Hey, what are you…" Grey is unable to finish his sentence.

The girl pulls out a smaller metal box from the slot that opened in the bigger container. The box she produced has a black, polished metallic casing. Grey spots that the box has an ergonomic design and straps on one of the larger faces, while its size suggested that this was some sort of backpack. The box has some form of antennae sticking out from its top side, and yet again the symbol電 was engraved on the metal's surface.

Grey and the girl stare intently at the shiny metal case.

"…What's that?" Grey finally asks the millionaire question.

She places the box over her shoulders.

"Huh!?" Both shriek at that moment.

There is a loud beep produced from the box followed by a series of lower ones. After that sequence is complete the girl goes limp.

"Hey! What's happening!?" Grey screams as he rushes at the girl. She didn't collapse, but became completely rigid when the beeping from the box stopped. After a few seconds, something within the box shifts.

**"** **HOLY CRAP!"**

The box which had been somewhat quadrate before changed its shape entirely. Where there had previously been squared corners had shifted into round shapes, and metal extended and retracted in a way Grey had never before thought would be possible without the help of digistructing technology, but there was clearly nothing of it here. Metal changed and twisted, before streamlining itself. The box had turned into a strange long slim pillar with a series of slots placed on the left side, while the right one had something akin to a turret, with two large cannons on the muzzle, however, that turret that was _too damn big_ for a girl of her size, and she was still standing like if it was nothing. Two strange pieces of metal, which Grey identified as something akin to boots, detached from the box as well; the girl graciously placed her feet inside them, and they locked immediately. Without warning, she reached for the giant turret and it detached from its slot, finding itself relocated in her tiny hands.

A petite girl, who couldn't be much older than 15, is wielding a gun which could probably blow out a whole town without any trouble was standing in front of Grey. He felt his heart drop down to the ground.

Grey's pulled his aim down by now, but hasn't let go of his handgun.

"…Is this for real?" Grey wonders aloud, gripping the gun with sweaty palms. "Just _what_ are you?"

The girl blinks a few times before looking at herself.

"This is… mine" She speaks slowly "This is… my equipment…"

"Equipment?" Grey asks, clenching his fingers, his finger can reach for the trigger in an instant. "Explain yourself"

"Yes…" She responds. "I'm not sure why, but something tells me that, nanodesu"

Grey takes a critical moment to analyze the situation. He's outmatched, in every single way possible. He feels his heartbeat buzz in his ears, his mouth is dry and tastes like metal, surely blood, his throat is clogged, his legs are trembling, and his shoulders' muscles are finally kicking in due to the stress.

_"_ _God, am I really this intimidated by a girl who doesn't reach my chest?"_ His mind says cynically. _"Must be the turret"_

Grey's no stranger to dread, and liked to think that he was no coward, but also, not stupid. Only idiots lack the capacity to feel fear, he says often. It wasn't that he hadn't fled before; of course he knew that sometimes escaping was the only option, after all, all what mattered in the end was whether you were alive or not. What allowed him to keep himself together was the fact that he's learned to fight the flight instinct and not ginger up every time danger arose.

Not that being able to confront the voice that told him to run away meant that he could always act immediately, though.

He feels incredibly weighed, as if several sacks of rocks had been tied to his body and were trying to pin him down to the ground. He knows fully well that he won't be able to escape even if he tries; he's too exhausted from the trip, the accompanying lack of sleep, and the strain on his body due to the Overclocked digging session. Death isn't included in his to-do list, however.

His voice comes out hoarse when the girl talks to him.

"Commander? Are you alright?" She asks with honest concern. "You don't look too good, nanodesu"

A part of Grey's mind can't believe he's considering hurting and killing the girl before him should worse come to worst.

"What exactly is that thing on your hand?" Grey asks icily.

"This…?" She looks at the curious lump of metal in her hand. "This is… a 12.7 Model B Twin Gun Mount, nanodesu"

"What kind of weapon is that?" Grey continues. "That seems… powerful".

She has a complicated expression on her face.

"…Yes, that much is obvious" She responds.

Grey's breathing erratically at this point, but does his best to hide it all under false courage.

"C-Commander…" She calls docilely.

"…What?" He responds, his tone icier than before.

He feels under his skin that everything's going to blow up at this instant.

"I don't know who I am" She says simply with a sad smile."

And contrary to anything he was expecting, the girl simply lets her arms fall to the sides, as if she was a puppet that had its strings cut. She looks at Grey with a hopeless expression.

_"_ _All of this nonsense is really making me angry"_ Grey thinks.

Taking a deep sigh, and also giving himself a third mental slap for considering shooting her, Grey musters his remaining energy to see this through.

"Listen" If they don't talk there will be no understanding "I truly don't know who you are, but if I understood the message that was given to me the moment I woke you up, then you are my responsibility"

She looks at him confused.

"Listen well and listen closely, okay?"

She nods.

"Let me start from the beginning.

My name is Grey Arkham, and a few months ago, I received a mission from this strange guy that calls himself the 'Empty Braver'. The mission was meh: Just retiring some of the pirate propaganda that had been scattered recently around the colony. That was no problem, I took out some pamphlets and sprayed over a few graffiti and that was that, just community service for a couple bucks; easy cash, I though. But as soon as I turned that mission in, I was given more missions, like immediately afterwards. Each mission was a cakewalk, there were no problems at all, and to make things better, each quest started giving me better rewards. Fast forward a couple dozen missions later, and the Braver sends me a message asking if I wanted to look for the Vault. Now, I know that those who search for the Vault are insane, and that to be perfectly honest, I also must be insane to be looking for it as well.

Well, I've got my reasons to search for the Vault, and those aren't important at the moment. What IS important is the fact that after I said that I'd hunt the Vault, the Empty Braver started issuing me stranger missions. I've gone out of my way to shoot at all manners of people, mainly military, corporates and pirates all around Chariot now, and multiple times. I continued doing quests for the Braver as he told me, until a few weeks ago when I received a very different type of mission; he gave me the symbol, the same one that is engraved onto that metal box over there as well as on your… er… weapon, and simply told me to follow through. While that wasn't fun, I started searching for anything related to it, and I didn't find anything at first. I continued looking for clues until I stumbled across a bunch of pirates who had just looted some cargo ship. After I cleaned out the ship, I found out a series of old papers and stuff containing symbols similar to the one I was looking for. I located the people who the pirates stole from, and once I tracked them and showed them the symbol, they gave me the coordinates to this place, to this very clearing. That was two… no, now it's three days ago. I never knew what I would find here, but I can bet my bacon it was you. Once I reached the island, I came here and found you. After I took you out of that metal container, I received a notification from the Braver. I was prompted to "accept" you, and when I did, I received another message which appointed me officially as a Vault Hunter as well as an 'Admiral', whatever that means.

That pretty much sums up everything that's compromised my life the last 4 or 5 months. And I want something to drink now."

Grey finishes his tale.

The girl takes a minute to process everything. There are many things she just doesn't get from his words. However, she feels afraid of asking. She bites her lips.

Grey catches wind of this.

"Are you… for real?" He asks. "You don't have any questions?"

"Y-yes! I mean- of course!" She immediately answers. "B-But I'm not sure you should be telling me all this…"

**"** ** _What?_** **"** Grey's voice comes out loud and forceful, causing the girl to shriek.

She feels like if she's just fused a bomb.

"I found you in the middle of nowhere, guided by weirdos, you don't have any memory, and just when I told you all this, you _don't_ have any questions? Are you kidding me!?" Grey shouts angrily.

"I-I'm very sorry, C-Commander!" She immediately responds by bowing multiple times.

Grey scratches his head with both hands with great exasperation.

**_"_** ** _What's wrong with you!?"_** The young man growls.

"Hawawawa! I'm so sorry, nanodesu!" Tears start forming in her eyes.

Grey raises both his arms to the air, and begins growling and muttering undecipherable words. Showing his gritted teeth and furrowed brow, he performs one of his biggest facepalms as of yet. Rubbing his hand slowly from his face down to his chin, Grey takes a deep breath, and sighs yet again in frustration. God, this girl managed to push all the wrong buttons…

Watching the commander with teary eyes, the girl stands silently with downed shoulders. Grey opens his mouth once, but then freezes in place. He closes it and makes a gesture with no meaning, then opens his mouth again, only to close it. He gives a thoughtful look to her.

Finally, rising his index, he speaks.

"I don't understand any of this, like, at all. Not where you come from, not how you came here, what am I supposed to do with you, and I definitely don't understand _you_ " He says rashly. "God, I met you just a few minutes ago, and we're already like this. Why is it that you don't want to voice your thoughts? I mean, we're pretty much on the same boat, and I'm sure there are things you want to know as well. How do I deal with you?"

She bites her lips.

"I'm sorry, Admiral. It wasn't my intention to make you angry" She says.

Grey's about to ramble again, but decides otherwise.

"Don't. Do not apologize" He tells. "Just talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking"

She seems honestly surprised at his words.

"…Can I?" She asks timidly. "Can I really ask you questions?"

"Duh, that's what I've been saying all along" He responds cynically. "I _want_ to hear what you have to say"

"…Really?"

"Really"

Both stare at each other in silence. Licking her lips, the girl speaks, however, Grey notes that she's still tense.

"What do you mean when you say you were 'prompted to accept me'?"

Grey shrugs.

"After I took you out of that box, I received a message on my ECHO which asked me if I 'accepted'. It didn't explicitly say _what_ I was accepting, but I'm sure that it referred to you"

She gives him a thoughtful look.

"So you don't really know who I am, nanodesu?"

"No. I just followed the symbol, I never expected to find a girl buried underground"

"What else do you know about this… uh… Empty Braver person?"

"Nothing much. He only issues me missions. It's not like I can contact him freely"

She seems like she still wants to ask something.

"Ask" Grey orders.

"Why?"

"Oh, right. The Empty Braver has basically hacked all the communications around Chariot, and there's no real way to locate him. Not that I've tried before, so I wouldn't know"

She falls quiet again. Grey only has to glare at her to prompt the rest of the questions.

"What about the people who gave you the coordinates to this place?"

"That's… actually a good point. I can and should contact them in the future, considering the mess this is turning out to be"

Her expression brightens at this. She smiles with glee and clasps both hands together in relief, the stiffness disappearing somewhat from her rigid frame.

"Really!? That's great to hear, nanodesu!"

Grey finds her smile infectious, however, that smile is pretty short lived as she realizes that she's getting carried away and tenses once again.

_"_ _Damn, just when I thought there was a breakthrough"_ Grey thinks dryly.

It seems that she's satisfied for now, as reluctant as it may seem. Grey decides to move onto another pressing matter.

"Hey" He calls. "I think it's about time we settle on a name for you"

"Huh?" She responds by giving him a funny look.

"I can't go around with 'hey' all the time. Not my style" Grey responds. "How am I supposed to call you?"

She takes a moment to ponder, losing her gaze in the distance.

"I… I think…" She doesn't finish her sentence.

Grey waits, although his patience is running out.

"Would a-anything you like suffice, nanodesu?" She finally says.

"Why are you asking me?" Grey retorts. "This is about _your_ name, not mine"

"W-Well I mean, yes, b-but - b-but, that just… that just wouldn't feel right!" She wails.

Grey raises his eyebrows in honest curiosity.

" _Why?_ "

She freezes, pierced full and through by such a simple question.

She doesn't remember who she is. She doesn't know about the weird weapon she's now holding, she doesn't remember being buried, nor recall anything prior to her waking, she doesn't know _anything_ but the fact that the man before her is her _Commander_ … and why is that as well? It was like as soon as she woke up she recognized Grey as her superior and handler, unable to question it, but now, she found herself inquiring that as well.

_"_ _Just what is going on?"_

Seeing the girl hesitate for so long, Grey takes another approach.

"If you don't want to be called that, just say so. Maybe you'd like it better if you named yourself?" He asks simply.

She finds herself staring with wide, surprised eyes.

"W-what do you mean by that, Commander?"

"Just what I said. Why don't you just give yourself a name you like? I mean, you're making this problem bigger than it really is" The young man shrugs and stretches his aching shoulders.

"I-I don't know…" She responds.

"Damn, girl. Is it that hard? It's just a name" Grey whines. "Or would you prefer that I gave you one?"

"Huh?" She shrieks at the suggestion.

_"_ _Darn it! Why must this girl be so hard to handle!?"_ Grey rolls his eyes, irritated. _"She has no confidence whatsoever!"_

Grey gives a guttural growl.

"Decide here and now" He declares. "Either you come up with a name or I give you one. I'll count to 3, and if you don't decide on a name, I'm giving you one whether you like it or not"

"Hawawawa! W-wait, C-Commander!" The girl panics, but Grey ignores her.

"One"

"C-Commander, please wait!"

"Two"

"Eeek! Okay, okay, I… er…"

"Three. Time's over"

Grey pinches the bridge of his nose with slight frustration.

"Then your name will be 'box', since I found you inside one after all"

"Hawawawa!" She cries cutely. "T-that's just mean, Commander! I-I just cannot-! I mean, what am I s-supposed to-? Eek!" She starts rambling, but is interrupted.

"C-Commander! W-why are you doing this!?"

" **Because you're so damn indecisive**!" Grey digs his knuckles on the sides of the shorter girl's head, not with the intent of hurting her whatsoever, but to make his irritation known and try to take his point across.

"Hawawawa! I get it, I get it, Commander!" She cries while flailing her arms to the sides. "So please, stop that!"

Grey immediately retires his knuckles from the girl's sides. She whines like a beaten animal and rubs her drilled head with her palms.

"It irritates me when people just don't take action, and even more when options are given to them" Grey declares. "If you got time to think, you've got time to act. So now, decide, I'm giving you the option right now: Either give yourself a name, or I will give you one"

"B-But n-names are very important!" She argues. "Y-You shouldn't just go around losing and giving them!"

It clicks inside Grey's mind, but he can't help but give an obnoxious laugh about it. It's guttural, it's sarcastic, it's cynical, and it irks the girl.

"That's what you think? That is why you're being so indecisive?" Grey laughs.

"C-Commander! P-Please don't make fun of me, nanodesu!" She cries.

Grey looks at the younger girl, who's pouting with red cheeks, which he supposes is out of combined embarrassment and indignation. Giving a deep breath, Grey recovers his calm demeanor.

"…Is it that important to you? A meaningful name or any of that jumbo?" He asks. "You don't even know who you are, and yet you're making all this fuss about just a word".

She takes a moment before responding, giving form with words to her feelings.

"T-that's precisely why, nanodesu" She argues. "It's precisely because I don't remember who I am that I don't want to become something that I'm not. I feel… I feel that names are… part of who we are… and - and if I go ahead and just settle for just anything, I feel… feel that I'm going to regret it, like… like if I would become something that isn't me…"

Grey listens without questioning.

"I-I know it may sound baseless and stupid, nanodesu, but I think I'd prefer to think through this. I'm sure… I'm sure I've had a name before, and… something within me tells me to not let go of it. T-that's why… would you… allow me to think of it calmly? I… I know that I'm overstepping my boundaries, but please, _please_ let me have this."

Grey's expression shifts uncomfortably. Up until now, this girl's seemed so timid and reserved

"…Please, nanodesu?"

"…I understand what you're saying, but I think differently from you" Grey says. "But that is beside the point right now. So how about we make a deal?"

Her eyebrows raise in mild surprise.

"…A deal, Commander?"

"Yes" He responds. "I'll let you decide on your name for now, but how about a nickname for the time being?"

"Excuse me, C-Commander? What do you mean?"

"Until you wither remember your name or decide on one, how about we just call you something? You don't need to think of it as your real name, just as a way to identify you for now"

She takes her gaze down to the ground, and thinks deep for a moment.

…

…

…

"Okay" She complies. "B-But could I ask for two conditions?"

"Sure" Grey responds almost immediately. She is taken aback by his straightforwardness.

"F-first, you must give it to me!" She says.

"…Okay" Grey chides in, regretting jumping the bullet so quickly.

"S-Second, it won't be anything mean like b-b-box!"

"Fair enough" Grey concedes. "I also wouldn't like to be called something like that..."

Grey then gives himself a mental slap for letting his jerkass side get out of hand before. He's been called worse before, and he had promised in the past to not do the same to others. He gives himself a triple mental slap for breaking the promise, and vows to never break it again. He doesn't show any of this to her of course.

Grey then takes a moment to think, but nothing comes through. He thinks hard and through, but nothing comes to him outside of degrading names. He curses the fact that he's never really been well versed.

_"_ _B-Box!? NO! Er… Sky? That's lame in all ways! Er… Treetrunk? WHAT KIND OF NAME IS THAT!? Dawn? Hmm… that just doesn't feel right with her… Hmm… box?_

_GODDAMMIT ARKHAM!"_ Grey fights a fight that no one else can see.

He sighs, defeated, and is giving up.

_"_ _Metal! Wait, NO!_

_…_ _Hyper- NO! Don't go on that train!_

_Leaf!_

_Sky!_

_Tree!_

_Branch!_

_Goddamnit, think of normal names at least!_

_Steve? Francis? Those aren't even girl's names!"_

The minutes pass by, and Grey stands with eyes closed and a frown adorning his face. Some could have sworn that the way his brow was furrowing was downright impossible.

"C-Commander? You've been thinking for some time now…"

Grey opens his uninjured eye at the call.

The sun has already risen up, so it must be already around 6, since that's the time that the sun goes up around these parts. Light is already filling the clearing, revealing how both of them are muddy and dirty down to their socks, the soil is also digging to their shoes, and Grey's body hurts the more seconds that pass, and that doesn't help his thinking either.

However, once he makes eye contact with the girl, he's unable to keep his right eye closed, and this time, it does stay open.

"C-Commander? Is something wrong?" She asks.

But epiphany has just struck Grey Arkham.

"Amber…" he says.

"…Amber?" She repeats.

"Your eyes, they're like amber" He says.

Back when he first saw her eyes, he simply dismissed them, but now that he was looking at them in all the glory of the sun's daylight, he found himself fascinated by them. They're a vibrant, almost auric shade of light brown, which immediately makes Grey think of the organic amber that was sold around various markets. To be perfectly honest, he had an eye for jewelry; he really liked shiny things, and jewels had always been the brightest of the bunch. However, amber was different from most gems, being that it was formed from years and years of hardening resin, eventually becoming a beautiful, crystalline piece, and just like that, this girl had been buried. Amber was unappreciated these days, being that eridium and other materials were considered the most luxurious types of minerals, racking up to millions of bucks. Plain, ignored and forgotten, yet containing an unique beauty; Grey thought of all this the moment he stared clearly into her eyes.

She takes a moment to think of it.

"A-Are you sure?" And she also seems to like it.

"G-God! I broke myself thinking about it!" Grey yells, unaware that his face is becoming redder by the second. "That or nothing!"

"N-No! I – I like it very much!" She cries nervously in response.

She places her right hand under her chin, delicately holding it with her thumb and index.

"A-Amber" She says nervously. "Amber"

"C-Can we get this over with!?"

"C-Commander!"

"Y-Yes!?"

"C-Could you say it?"

"W-what!?"

"P-please! I… I want to hear it o-once more!"

Grey turns his face awkwardly away from her.

"W-We gotta get outta here, we've been here for too long…" He tries to change the subject.

"P-Please! Just this once!"

"Dammit! Why are you suddenly so pushy!?" Grey shrieks.

There is no response from the girl. Gulping, Grey turns back at the girl once again, who's bashfully looking at him.

"…P-please?"

Grey gives a drowned scream for himself. He gives his back again immediately.

"L-let's get going already… Amber" He hurriedly says as he gives his first step out of the jungle and back to the shore.

He doesn't see the girl's bright smile, perhaps the brightest she has given yet.


	3. Rhythm and Balance

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask" Grey's voice comes out distorted from behind his mask. "Why is it that you've been calling me Commander all this time?"

"Um… now that I think about it, it's actually kind of strange, nanodesu" The girl behind him responds.

"You don't say?" Grey remarks sarcastically, continuing his walk. "I'm asking _why_ you are calling me like that, not that you state the obvious"

"Do you dislike being called that, sir?" Amber asks.

Grey takes a moment to consider it.

"Actually, no, it sounds kind of cool, if I'm honest. It's just that being called something like that out of the blue was a curve I wasn't expecting. Scanner: Switch to Thermal" Grey says, and his visor responds by changing its radar mode. "But anyways, back to my question, why do you do it?"

"Ehmmm, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure too, Commander" Amber answers. "The moment I saw you, something within me immediately made me acknowledge you as my Commander"

"Are you forgetting that the _actual_ first thing you did was smash my face?"

Behind him, Amber's face goes red with embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry for that, nanodesu" She apologizes. "I didn't recognize you with your… er… mask"

"Ah, don't think about it. You hit yourself as well on that exchange, and actually got the worse end of it, so you can call it even" Grey takes a branch out of his way. "But back onto the original topic, there's just something that doesn't feel right about what you say…"

"H-Honest!" Amber nervously assures. "I'm not sure myself why, either, but if i-it really troubles you, I wouldn't mind calling you something else!"

"Hmm…" Grey ponders aloud. "Something like 'Admiral', perhaps?"

"Well, if you really insist, I could do that…" Amber says sheepishly.

"Whatever you feel the best with" The Vault Hunter responds. "Just call me whatever you like"

"Then is Commander fine?"

"Didn't I just tell you that it's whatever? What is with you and names? If it's so hard, you can use just my name and we can call it a day there" Grey shrugs. "Why is it that you keep questioning whatever I say?"

"I'm sorry, Commander" Amber whimpers.

"And then there's that matter of apologizing for everything" Grey sighs, then realizes he got sidetracked again. "Back on topic, care to elaborate?"

Amber is having a hard time keeping up with Grey's pace, but she still does her best to not fall behind.

"Hawaaaa. How can I explain?" Amber wonders aloud. "It's just that the instant I saw you, something immediately said within me 'This person is your Commander', and I didn't find that I disliked it, so I just went with it".

"Was that before or after you hit my mask?" Grey asks teasingly.

"A-After!" She panics. "It was the moment I saw your face – I mean, your real face and not the mask!"

"Huh… I see then" Grey concedes, and Amber lets a relieved sigh escape her lips, however, her relief is pretty short lived, as Grey turns back on his feet and faces her. "By the way, how long are you going to stay like that?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Commander?" Amber asks genuinely.

"Are you serious?" Grey responds with a face that perfectly matches his words. "I'm talking about that… box-weapon thing of yours. Isn't it hard to move with that ungodly piece of metal on your back?"

Amber twists her head back to her gear, and her eyes widen in surprise. She's still carrying the metal pillar behind her back and turret in her hands, and she's also wearing the metallic boots as well.

"N-not at all!" She responds, but then decides to think it through. "Well… I can actually carry these just fine… although… maneuvering is a whole other matter, to be honest… But I'm fine with just carrying and moving with them!"

Grey takes a moment to consider what she's saying. Not only do they look heavy and honestly spectacular (although not precisely in the inspiring way), as well as rather big. How could a girl of a build as small as hers carry all that weight and still be able to walk was beyond him, but she's been following his lead for these past 15 minutes throughout the jungle with no apparent problem except for when said gear gets stuck due to a low branch or tight gap… So Grey chooses to believe her.

"So, is there any way to put all that stuff away?" Grey asks. "Because if it doesn't then we have a real big problem here"

Amber looks at the taller person with something like an expecting face.

"I'm not sure, nanodesu…" She says. "But how could I… EEK!"

As soon as she says so, the pillar behind her back screeches, and the same process that took place when she first put the box on her back occurred, only that in a slightly different way. She felt a change and her feet, and once she turned to them, a loud ***CLANK!*** ringed in the air and her boots unlocked, allowing her to take them off. The pillar starts shifting, and becomes something that can only describe as a basket or sack of sorts, as if something could be placed inside of it. Both Amber and Grey stop dead in their tracks to stare with incredulous eyes at the machinery behind the auburn girl's back.

"So… what now?" Grey asks.

"Uhm… I'm not sure!" Amber responds honestly.

"Well, that looks like a box, alright" Grey says, inspecting the equipment's new form. "So the obvious thing is… to place things inside. Come on, place your turret and boots inside the box"

The girl does as instructed. She first places the turret inside, finding that the box is actually large enough for the weapon to enter, and then picks the boots from the ground and also drops them carefully inside the box.

Once all three parts are in, the machine gives an audible humming and starts shifting once more. A lid closes the upper portion of the basket and then the whole thing starts shaking. The shifting process continues as plates are produced from inside and sharper corners are formed, and after about 10 seconds, gone are the strange column and giant gun, and only a streamlined black metal box with the symbol電 embedded on the center is left on the girl's back.

"That was… weird" Grey concludes. "But that's actually pretty helpful. Now we don't have to worry about attracting unwanted attention. How did you do that?"

"I'm not sure" Amber says staring at her hands, then her legs, inspecting if there was nothing weird or anything left. "I just kind of wished the Gun Mount to disappear, and it just did so"

"A mental interface?" Grey says aloud, but the term results unfamiliar to Amber. "That'd be pretty rad if it is, although your weapon there still puzzles me. There's no digistructing there, I can bet my bacon on that, so how come that that box can become a gun, and like a giant one at that, in the first place? Unless it's some weird alien technology I don't know about…"

Grey rambles aloud, but Amber has no idea what he's referring to. Both continue walking with Grey sporting all sorts of babble that she can't get around understanding, and eventually see a light after almost 20 minutes of walking around trees. Amber feels excited to see the sea, for some reason she can't fully place yet. She hasn't said anything of this to the Admiral, but there's an emotion inside her that is pushing her to the sea water.

Eventually, they exit the jungle and are greeted by the open sea breeze. Amber smiles unknowingly and rushes to the sand.

"Hey, watch it, Amber!" Grey calls worriedly as the shorter girl dashes past him.

"Commander! It's the sea! It's the sea!" Amber cries triumphantly. She feels like she's been reunited with a friend she hasn't seen in a long time.

"Yeah, yeah, the sea" Grey responds uncaringly, and then goes back to his inner thoughts about Amber's equipment. That technology bothered him seriously.

Meanwhile, Amber greets the sea by taking a deep breath. The salty sea tickles her nose, but she finds that it doesn't bother her in the least, in fact, it revitalizes her. She gets an inexplicable sense of glee on feeling the sand under her shoes, and something inside her screams to rush into the waves.

Meanwhile, Grey gives a sigh back at his position.

 _"_ _I won't gain anything form letting it bother me here… I guess I'll have Danny take a look at that gear later"_ He thinks.

Grey reaches Amber at the shoreline, who's staring with a dreamy expression at the endless blue horizon in front of her. Grey notices that she seems very relaxed.

"…Are you liking the sea?" He asks.

"…Yes" She responds with a smile. "I feel like the sea is where I…"

She stops talking, after realizing that Grey was beside her. Breaking from her trance, she nervously flails her arms and goes all stiff again. Grey sighs at the rejection, feeling honestly insulted.

"I-is something wrong, Commander?" She asks, trembling still.

"No" Grey lies through his teeth and opens his ECHO.

Amber seems unconvinced by the way he spoke, but he remains silent as he explores the holographic interface.

"Hey, Amber, take this" He says as a curious device is formed from a blue light in his hands. The gadget has the form of a round tablet no bigger than Grey's palm with a hexagonal pattern on the center which seems to shimmer. There are smaller panels with also with hexagonal designs on one of the devices side. It is an Anshin Adaptive Shield, and although it's a fairly poor one, it's going to get the job done. He had intended to sell it, but since the situation had come to this, he knew the girl _would_ be better with it. He hands the Shield to the girl.

"What is this, Commander?" The girl asks while examining the unknown apparatus.

"It's a shield, and you attach it to your clothes" Grey explains. "It's meant to-"

A beeping interrupts his sentence. Under his mask, Grey's expression turns to worry.

"Oh, HELL NO!" He screams. "I made sure that no one had been following me!"

"What is happening, Commander!?" Amber raises her voice, shaken by her Commander's cursing.

"THAT!" Grey shouts while pointing out to the sea.

Amber turns to the sea and watches at the direction he's pointing. On the distance, Amber spots something on the surface of the water.

 _"How did they appear out of the blue in the radar all of a sudden!?"_ Grey curses in his mind. One second they weren't there, and now...

"W-What is that, Commander?" Amber inquires worriedly, focusing her vision on the silhouette far on the horizon.

"A Pirate Ship!" Grey grits his teeth. "And they're got their course set for this island! We have to get out of here, and **now**!"

Grey takes the girl's hand and rushes back towards the jungle, but doesn't enter it. Grey drags the girl to a vehicle laying near the jungle's border. The vehicle resembles a motorbike with a green metallic skeleton, although there's a clear indication that it isn't a normal bike as it lacks proper wheels, which makes it look more like some sort of spaceship. Grey quickly climbs onto the driver's seat and inputs a code onto a panel in the handle. The bike begins wheezing as lines around the casing turn on with a soft blue neon lights.

"What is this, Commander!?" Amber asks distraught.

"Our only chance to get out of here, so climb on and _**don't let go**_!"

* * *

"Ooph, Amber, don't hold so tightly! You're breaking my ribs!" Grey shouts.

"I'm sorry, Commander!" Amber responds with her eyes closed, but doesn't relax her grip around Grey's waist. "But w-we're going too fast!"

 ** _"_** ** _AMBER!"_** Grey shouts distraught. It's true that they're moving way too fast, but if he goes any slower, the pirates are going to catch up.

It's been just a minute since they left the island, and Grey's already going at full throttle. The radar cannot pinpoint the pirate's exact distance, but Grey estimates that they must be around 20 kilometers or something from their current position. The hydro-bike sails at its full capabilities to the south-east, with a course Grey hasn't defined yet, as his attention is focused on evading the pirates _and_ their volley.

Another explosion on the water's surface forces Grey to veer slightly to the left, or else he risks turning over the bike.

"Kuh!" Grey grunts as he struggles to stabilize the vehicle. The problem with going so fast is that violent movements have great recoil on the bike's balance, and as such, increases the chances of both Grey and Amber falling to the sea. Grey curses his luck that the ship chasing them has such an absurd range, and even more that they _actually_ _know_ what they're doing. As of this moment, he's evaded 4 shots just by pure luck, while the rest of them have been _truly_ close. He calculates that it'll at least take him 3 minutes to get away from the ship's effective range.

 _"_ _How did they get so close without the radar picking!?"_ Grey's thoughts are for the most part, disarrayed.

 ** _"_** ** _AMBER! I CAN'T BREATHE!"_** Grey shouts once again. He takes a look at the radar, and his frustration increases when he sees three new signals speeding to his position. He turns his head back to see with his own eyes that there are three enemy hydro-bikes closing onto him. **_"Shit!"_**

_"_ _THEY ALSO GOT FUCKING SPEED-BIKES!?"_

The fact that Amber isn't letting air reach his lungs is not helping him.

 ** _"_** ** _WHY THE ARE THEY AFTER US!?"_** She cries, glued to Grey's back and eyes closed.

 ** _"_** ** _FUCK ME IF I KNOW!"_** Grey pants. **_"AMBER. I. NEED. AIR!"_**

**_"_ ** **_I'M GOING TO FALL!"_ **

**_"_ ** **_JUST- A LITTLE!"_ **

**_"_ ** **_NO!"_ **

**_"_** ** _AMBER!"_** Grey coughs due to the lack of oxygen. "If… if I don't get air I won't be able… to get us out!"

Amber doesn't respond.

 _"_ _SHIT!"_ Grey curses in his mind.

And just then, a sharp gust slashes the air at their sides. The hydro-bikes have reached them. Grey doesn't even have the time to damn everything as he steers to the right. Behind him, five pirates mounted in modified hydro-bikes are closing on him. The ones to his left and directly behind have each a driver and a co-pilot, which are aiming and already firing their guns. Grey turns his head to his right and sees through the visor that the bike to his right has only a driver… but the damn bike has a gun attached to the front, Grey recognizes it as a modified electric Vladof assault rifle that has been modified to fit on the bike's front, which is only bad news. If anything, the guy with the turret will only have to click the trigger once he's close enough.

With the ship having such a terrifying accuracy, Grey's (and by consequence, Amber's) chances of survival are getting slimmer by the second.

 ** _"_** ** _AMBER, LISTEN TO ME!"_** Grey shouts, but finds himself unable of shouting any more. "I need you… to press the button… of my fanny!"

 ** _"_** ** _W-WHAT!?"_** She shouts.

**_"_ ** **_JUST DO IT!"_ **

Amber's teeth are clenched, and her eyes are fiercely shut. She tightens her grip on Grey's stomach even more, causing him to cough.

 ** _"_** ** _PRESS THE FUCKING BUTTON OR LET ME BREATHE!"_** Grey shouts. **_"DO I NEED TO ORDER YOU OR WHAT!?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I DON'T CARE!"_** Comes her desperate scream.

Grey's judgement's become cloudy by this point. Overtaken by anger before reason, he shouts.

**_"_ ** **_LET GO OF ME, THAT'S AN ORDER!"_ **

He instantly feels the pressure leave his body, and he takes a deep breath instantly. He feels ecstatic for a moment, having received gratuitous oxygen for his lungs. However, that instant of euphoria doesn't even last a second, as he is forced to make another forceful dodge to the left to avoid being crushed under a giant shell.

…

…

…

**_"_ ** **_KUGH!"_ **

Grey's heart stops when he sees the small figure of Amber being flung out of the hydro-bike like a ragdoll. He manages to catch her face for just a moment, and sees the tears flowing and utterly terrified grimace distance from him as she flies away. She extends his arm towards him, but his remains glued to the handle. Out of the corner of her vision, Amber manages to see her Commander's incredulity through the glass of his visor. Soaring at breakneck speeds, Amber crashes against the surface of the water, and immediately plummets down like a rock under the sea.

**_"_ ** **_AMBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"_ **

Grey's scream comes out too late, he doesn't even register the shot that he receives on his extended arm.

For an instant, Grey's washed by a sensation of void. His mind starts racing.

_"_ _I told her to let go…_

_I told her to let go…_

_I told her to let go…_

_I told her to let go…_

_I told her to let go…_

_I told her to let go…_

_I TOLD HER TO LET GO!"_

Grey lets his mind snap. He presses the brake on the handle, and turns 180 degrees almost in place. His resulting position is not that different from what he had a few moments ago… and he immediately turns the accelerator down to full.

 ** _"_** ** _FULL OVERCLOCK!"_** His blood-curling scream booms the air. He immediately reaches for his fanny and presses one of the buttons, seemingly unfazed at the number of bullets that pierce his skin.

He manages to catch the pirate's surprise at his sudden change, but doesn't let them take the chance to retaliate. His shotgun materializes from a fierce red light accompanied by neon cubes that fickle unstably before they dissipate in the air. The light is red and fierce, unlike the usual soft blue one that comes from standard digistructing. He's already receiving bullets by the dozen, and his shield breaks under the spray of electric bullets. Grey's torso is pierced thoroughly, but he doesn't register the pain nor stop.

The world now seems to move at slow motion for Grey, who's pushed his brain's processing power past the limit… almost twice. His body also responds now with the same efficiency, and even before the gun he called from the fanny is formed in his hand, without caring that his right shoulder will pop out from its place due to the unnatural and awkward movement. He has already calculated the position he must take for his first shot to get the biggest amount of pellets in the closest pirate's head, and then take the next shot.

With an accuracy that just couldn't belong to a shotgun, even a highest-grade Hyperion one after adjusting the reverse-recoil, Grey makes 12 out of 14 pellets hit his first target's head on the first shot in the very millisecond the shotgun has finished forming on his grip, the target being the driver of the bike with a mini-turret. With a gruesome sound, the bullets pierce _and explode_ in the pirate's face, bypassing completely his shield, which doesn't even have time to activate as the supersonic rounds zoom towards, into and away. After the bandit's head literally _bursts_ out of his neck, the rest of his body follows through the laws of physics and flies into the air, crashing into the water's surface. The bike, losing its driver, turns over and rises into the air if only briefly.

Before the jumping bike crashes into the air like its driver, Grey has shot the second bandit's head, which blows up gruesomely, but his second shot doesn't end there, as it also _pierces_ through the first body and hits the co-pilot's torso. And without missing a beat in the least, Grey fires the third and fourth shots almost simultaneously, with each discharge hitting each target in their heads less than a second of difference.

All three bikes tumble over and collide with the water in what any normal person's eyes would be the same instant.

But Grey doesn't stop there. He simply lets go of his shotgun, and it disappears in a mangle of angry red cubes. He reaches for the fourth button of his fanny, and from it comes a new weapon.

Before Grey has the Rocket Launcher in his hands, he already knows that this won't end well, the power boost that the launcher's received will cause the weapon to break itself and damage him; he also knows that the target is too far away, but he doesn't care.

The Maliwan Rocket Launcher forms in his right hand the same way the shotgun had done before, and he has also calculated how and where to shoot the impossibly heavy gun before it's even out. Grey stands from his sitting position in the driver's seat, already knowing that he's going to sink that ship even if it's the last thing he's going to do. The bike sails towards the pirate ship in the distance, while Grey already sees the shells aiming from him, but continues unraveled. Grey pulls violently the handle, causing his hydro-bike to jump.

 ** _"_** ** _GO TO HELL!"_** Grey screams out of the top of his lungs, feeling every neuron and their connections inside his brain go wild.

The grenade shot by the electrified, combustible and corrosive Rocket Launcher blasts through the air unstopped, flying with incredible kinetic force towards the enemy. Grey is kicked out of the bike, and flies into the air due to the opposing moving forces of the bike and the Launcher. He feels how his right shoulder is shattered, unable to withstand the power of the enhanced Rocket Launcher, but he doesn't let that stop him. In the air, he readjusts his sights, and fires three more rockets at the ship that's more than 20 kilometers away in his last breath. The weapon breaks in thousands of shards and metallic pieces before melting away into oblivion without reaching the ground.

He doesn't get to see the impact of the rockets, because his head turns away from the ship's direction as he spins helplessly into the air, eventually diving into the water with his shoulder.

Back at the ship, a bandit screams horrified as a shining projectile comes into his field of vision. The radars don't get to pick the incoming projectiles.

There are two hits. The first one hits the bridge, but also reaches part of the cabin in the resulting explosion after the impact; this causes a lot of panic due to the completely unexpected nature of the hit; the blow tears off the cabin, taking out some of the operators inside along with it, as well as causing an explosion that sets on fire their corpses as well as the machinery, but that doesn't stop there, as a caustic green goo starts quickly eating away at anyone who's too close. The pirates respond quickly by using the fire extinguishers and moving all the important things out of the way. The acid quickly melts down the metal and starts leaking into the interior of the ship. There is no real damage from the acid to the insides from the first shot. The second shot actually reaches for the pope, and tears a good bunch of it while also damaging the integrity of the ship… but it's not enough to sink it. The rest of Grey's rockets miss completely. However, the damage is enough to send everyone on the ship into hysteria.

It wasn't every day that some crazy asshole hit a ship from more than 20 kilometers only with a rocket launcher.

Normally, neither shotgun nor launcher would be remotely capable of pulling out the kind of stunts they just did, no matter how well made, but Grey had activated the Full Overclock.

When activated, Grey doesn't only remove the limiter of his brain, but he also alters the characteristics of the guns he wields. This modification allows Grey to effectively make his guns do things they wouldn't be able to normally do, which include forcing his weapons to become capable of firing _combined_ elemental rounds, such as making a gun capable of dealing burning and corrosion (and even more types of damage) at the same time with the same bullets, like his shotgun did by giving explosive properties to his electrical shotgun, or burning and corrosion to his also electrical launcher; while also increasing the standard characteristics of the guns, such as making their firepower go beyond the gun's threshold, their fire rate, accuracy, and even the capacity, which is why Grey was able to hit the bandit's heads in such a fearsome manner with his shotgun, and was able to fire four shots out of the same magazine with his launcher, where normally he'd only be able to fire two shots.

The modifications to the guns comes from a program called _Limitless_ , and is designed to be used alongside Grey's Overclock. Digistructing technology allows to effectively store real objects in the form of virtual information, and turn that information back into real objects, and so on and forth between both forms.

 _Limitless_ is designed to deliberately tamper with the digistructing codex, resulting in ridiculously powerful guns by overwriting their real information with "impossible" one, however, _Limitless_ is dangerous to use for normal people since it removes all limitations at the cost of security, due to the fact that the modified guns become unstable and run the risk of becoming nuclear bombs that _can and will_ damage the user should the gun not be able to withstand the alterations, which is prone to happen when using this program. If the gun is unable to withstand the pressure exerted by the program, a nuclear meltdown powered by alien technology will take place. It's worth noting that _not always_ the altered guns will become explosives, but that they just may break down, like it just occurred with Grey's Rocket Launcher. Weapons lost due to this program can't be retrieved, either.

There's also the fact that _Limitless_ can corrupt the user's digistructing codex altogether, rendering it unusable; Grey has actually had the displeasure of ruining a lot of digistructing bags and containers in the past thanks to it, and has also forced him to restore his ECHO each time. Although, just nuclear bombs are bad enough by themselves, to be perfectly honest.

Full Overclock runs Grey's own Overclock alongside the _Limitless_ program to reduce the risks. Grey's augmented brainpower when using Overclock allows him to almost foresee what will result of running _Limitless_ , reducing considerably the risks of using the double-edged weapons, although not eliminating them by any means, having this become a resistance game in which Grey will have to race against the clock before _Limitless_ blows up the gun and/or himself. It's worth pointing out that Grey doesn't have the need to use both his own Overclock and _Limitless_ together, hence Full Overclock as a "skill" of its own, separated from the basic form, which only serves to increase Grey's own body.

Grey plummets into the seabed, but he doesn't lose his consciousness, as the Full Overclock keeps him from passing out.

Water quickly begins invading the inside of Grey's visor, causing him to have troubles seeing, due to the fact that water distorts his vision from the inside. If there had been another circumstances, Grey would have regretted not turning his visor completely amphibious; but right now, he is more concerned with finding Amber.

Grey takes a moment to look around the water. He can't see too deep down, but his line of vision and the clear water give him pretty good horizontal range. Grey desperately looks for the girl, but he doesn't see her. He heads into the surface, with a creaking and useless right arm weighing him down. It's only thanks to the increased strength to his legs that he manages to swim back to the surface, but using that is also hurting him.

Grey reaches out of the water and gasps for air. He struggles for a moment before stabilizing somewhat and taking a look around the surface. He sees the smoke from the pirate ship in the distance, but disregards it and turns the opposite way. He searches for the hydro-bikes that belonged to the pirates, to find out where he came from, since all the air-spinning made him lose all sense of direction. He manages to catch a glimpse of one of the turned vehicles he's looking for in the distance. Struggling with the increasing pain, Grey does his best to approach the vehicle, but finds it harder with each stroke of his legs.

He coughs up blood under his mask, staining the white plastic from the inside in red. Grey already knows that he's suffering from internal bleeding in his right shoulder, and that's he's minutes away from entering shock and passing away.

However, even with his augmented brain capacity, he only has one thought repeating like a broken record inside his mind.

 _"_ _I told her to let go. I told her to let go. I told her to let go. I told her to let go"_ Grey repeats inside his head like a maniac, as if it were some sort of mantra. Only that this mantra was more of a curse, one he placed upon himself.

"V-Visor and m-mask: O-off!" Grey says desperately.

He knows that his voice won't reach anyone, but he wants to at least try. Gathering whatever little air he could, he puffs his chest.

**_"_ ** **_A-AMBEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRR!"_ **

He coughs more blood from his throat into the ocean surface.

**_"_ ** **_AMBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!"_ **

But there's no response.

Grey feels his legs failing, he can't move any further. He can't even reach the bike.

His breath is ragged and erratic, his limbs are destroyed and useless. Only his mouth keeps screaming the name of the lost girl, and even then, his voice becomes weaker each time. Grey's vision becomes hazy, and he feels his whole body disappear.

_"_ _I'm sorry…"_

* * *

The girl is sinking, sinking deep. She doesn't know where she's sinking, but she knows for a fact that she's falling down.

_"_ _A true lady always accepts a new members into her family, so I indeed welcome you!"_

_"_ _So, you're __ _. I guess that means we're sisters, right? Right!?"_

_"…_ _It's nice to meet you"_

The scene flashes before her eyes like a broken piece of a movie. She knows that she's seen this scene before somewhere, but she cannot remember where or when. The room around her is cheery and light, and for some reason, she feels at home.

_"_ _Panpakapan! Here comes _!"_

_"_ _P-please _! D-don't cause problems for Commander _, nanodesu!"_

_"_ _A true lady doesn't come uninvited into people's places!"_

_"…_ _Even if you've already invaded them, _? Then again, I'm also here…"_

That office had always been an important place for her.

She feels tired.

_"_ _We're disturbing the neighbors again…"_

_"_ _Don't be such a party pooper, _! We're doing a great job at cheering up the base!"_

_"_ _We shouldn't act like this! It's unbefitting of real ladies!"_

_"_ _I t-think that's beside the point, nanodesu…"_

She knows these people, but why can't she place her faces? Why can't she recall their names? Why can't she see their faces?

She feels tired.

_"_ _Oh, so you're the new girls? It's nice to meet you! I, the great _ hereby welcomes you to the _! Congratulations!"_

_"…"_

_"_ __ I think you're scaring them"_

_"_ _No pr-o-blem! We'll take good care of you! Come on! We got cookies!"_

_"…_ _хорошо"_

_"_ _Did you just buy them with cookies!?"_

These scenes cause her a warm feeling in her chest. It's safe, it's home here.

She feels very tired. She doesn't want to leave.

_"_ _NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! _!"_

_"_ _G-Go on… without… me…"_

_"_ _Everyone else, retreat! RETREAT!"_

_"_ _B-But we can't just leave _ here!"_

_"_ _It's the orders we've received!"_

_"_ _I WON'T DO THAT!"_

Yes, there were those times too. There were those times were she just wished to die.

She's feeling sleepy. Perhaps she can get a little shut-eye now…

_"…_ _Commander, can I ask you a question?"_

_"_ __"_

_"_ _Are we really doing something here?"_

_"_ __"_

_"_ _Is that really it? Is that really the whole reason?"_

_"_ __?"_

_"_ _It's just that… These days I feel like I don't know what or who I'm fighting for anymore…"_

_"…"_

All this has worn her out. She hasn't stopped in a long time, so she wants to take a break now.

She closes her eyes.

She begins drifting.

She lets go of everything.

She silences everything. The good. The bad. The hatred. The fear. The love. The confusion.

She forgets herself.

_"…_ _er….."_

She decays.

She corrodes.

_"…_ _.am…b…."_

She degrades.

She rots.

_"…_ _.ber…."_

She tries to silence the voice.

But it doesn't let up.

_"…_ _me…m….ry…"_

She's polluted.

With blood she never wanted to take.

_"…_ _.ber!...Am…..!...mem….."_

Mirror.

"Who are you, nanodesu?"

"Better question is, who are _you_?"

The reflection is staring.

"What is your name, nanodesu?"

"What is _your_ name?"

"I am _, nanodesu"

"Then that means I'm Amber?"

Somehow, that doesn't feel right.

"Where are you?"

"Sinking"

"…No… you aren't"

"That's right. It's not me…."

"But… me…."

"…Or is it?"

She doesn't understand.

"You don't need to"

But if I don't, then what do I do?

"Why don't you ask him?"

Him?

"The one calling you"

But he's not calling me.

"Are you sure?"

* * *

Gray. Gray is in every direction. She floats in gray. Gray, gray far as the eye can see.

She feels like she's seen this before somewhere, but at the same time, she also feels like the scene is different. Stormy, bottomless grey that swallows all until turning into deep, impenetrable black.

But there's no gray here.

There's only blue.

Amber blinks once, then twice.

She realizes she's in the seabed, sinking deeper with every passing second.

 _"_ _How did I get here…?"_ She says to her insides.

It eventually reaches her. The pirates, the chase, the order.

And Grey.

Her eyes widen. She must get back to her Commander, she must!

 _"_ _Come on!"_ Her mind screams.

And, as if responding to her thoughts, she feels the box at her back shift. Metal extends and retracts, and she soon finds herself armed.

This time, the gear at her body feels oddly warm.

The boots are in place, the mast is up, and the turret is primed. All it takes is the willingness to go up.

She boosts herself up. Up she goes, back to the surface, where she belongs.

"UFAAAA!" Comes Amber's distraught voice. She doesn't get better though, as she forces the water out of her lungs through painful coughs. She is unable to stop smiling, though, even though it is painful.

She feels oddly warm, she feels like she's gained something.

Once she manages to stand up, as dizzy as she was, she soon comes to a realization.

She's _standing_ on water, she's keeping her balance on top of the ocean surface.

"W-wow…" She muses, marveled at the impossibility she was doing. She slowly moves her left leg, and quickly loses balance, but manages to stop herself before falling down completely. Using her arms as makeshift balancers, she recovers her footing and manages to stand up.

She's still shaken and has trouble breathing, but manages to calm herself a little bit.

She then turns her gaze, and starts looking at her surroundings.

The sight causes her heart to skip a beat. There's smoke in the distance, and Amber identifies the silhouette of a burning ship as the source.

"W-were those the pirates…?" She asks to no one in particular.

She then spots the turned hydro-bikes, although there are no pirates in them anymore. The vehicles sway along with the waves in an almost haunting manner.

But there's no sign of her Commander. Amber's heart shrinks a bit as she makes her way to the turned ships. She starts skiing around the water, but stumbles many times in the process. However, she instinctively starts correcting her posture the more she moves, and after just a few minutes of practicing, she can already move without falling, although she cannot really move too fast-

"C-Commander!?" Amber spots a mangle of brown floating on the water's surface. Disregarding everything else, she speeds towards the beaten and tattered body of Grey. "Commander, are you okay!?"

She kneels and uncomfortably picks Grey from his position, who is unconscious. She pulls him to her knees, to find his chin and mouth covered in blood. His poncho is tattered and filled with bullet holes. She apologizes to him and removes the cape from his neck, and finds in horror that he's covered in wounds, from head to toe.

She's about to shriek, but bites her lip until it bleeds and fights back the tears. Taking a deep breath, Amber checks Grey's pulse, and feels a weight lift off her shoulders when she finds that her Commander's one stubborn bastard.

However, it's very faint, and she knows that he won't last long if he remains like this.

 _"_ _What do I do!? What do I do!?"_ She thinks quickly. She has no way to now the full extent of Grey's condition, so she can't just do anything; and she also has no knowledge out of first aid, but this is far beyond her capabilities.

She keeps examining the young man, and then realizes that there's a deep stain of blood in his right shoulder, and once she examines further his right arm, she realizes that said arm is twisted in a bizarre manner, hands just _do not_ bend like that. Amber just presses lightly the place, causing Grey to grunt in pain. This is ridiculous.

Amber quickly thinks through her options, and finds that there aren't many to choose from.

She has no idea of anything relating the geography of these places, and she can't just move Grey along in the condition he's in. There's only the ship…

Amber gets an idea, and as wild and stupid as it may sound, she knows that she has no other option.

"F-forgive me for this, Commander" Amber apologizes in advance. She picks Grey's body from his left arm and flings it over her own shoulder. Grey grunts in pain once again, still unconscious, although this time it's clearly more painful. Amber secures her Commander's body by holding his left arm over her shoulder. Once she feels that she can hold onto him, she boosts full speed towards the Pirate Ship.

It takes her just a few minutes to reach the static ship. It's been just a few minutes since Grey's assault on the ship, and there is no way to calm everyone down. The injured operators are being thrown out to the sea, as they were the first to be hit, and thus, the first to be scrapped, the systems are offline as well, and everyone's running from one place to another trying to stop the acid from eating any further into the deeper levels.

All pirates stop dead in their tracks once a little girl crash lands into the deck of their ship. They stare with horrified awe at the girl who's carrying the almost lifeless corpse of the man who blew their ship.

Puffing her chest with valor, Amber yells loudly.

"I want a medic, and I want it now!" She screams out of the top of her lungs.

No one responds immediately. At this, Amber aims the turret in her hand to the sky and shoots a 12.7 round into the air.

 **"** **I said I want a medic. NOW!"** Amber repeats herself.

A small group of pirates overstep the others, clearly not scared, unlike the more reasonable ones.

"List-" One of them is about to say, but a giant bullet fires past him, which lands into the sea far behind him, and blows up with tremendous power. There are squeals of terror among the people in the back rows.

 **"** **That was your last warning"** Amber says icily. **"The next one won't miss"**

"AAAAAAH! M-MONSTER" One of the others shout, and quickly draws his machinegun at the girl.

Amber quickly responds by shielding her Commander with her body. She endures a spray of more than 50 bullets, which she receives without backing off.

Once the magazine is empty, the pirate stares in horror as the girl turns at him, unfazed and unhurt in the least, only having her clothes slightly scratched and torn, the bullets having bounced off her body like if they were mere nothing. She turns her face towards him, raises her right arm, and shoots another bullet from her cannon. The pirate is swung into the air as the 12.7 cm round pierces his chest and falls dead out of the ship.

While most of them stain in their pants and back off, there are clearly still idiots around. One gives one step forward, but he doesn't get to give another, as another bullet pierces him and turns him into a memory, blasting what little remains of him into the sea like the other pirate before him.

 **"** **WHERE. IS. THE. MEDIC!?"** Amber growls with a voice she didn't know she possessed. **"And you'd better not try anything funny, because I've got enough shells to blast all of you down to the bottom of the sea"**

No one dares to raise their hand.

**"** **Am I supposed to execute you one by one until the medic appears, or what!?"**

"There won't be a need for that" A grave voice says among the rows of the pirates, and a middle-aged man appears from the crowd. He carries himself with a lazy demeanor while smoking a cigarette. He's wearing a large leather jacket that reaches his knees, while under it he's wearing an unkempt set of a shirt, work pants and industrial boots. He has no hair in his head, and only covers himself with what appears to be a tattered and somehow… bitten fedora.

 **"** **You'd better be a doctor"** Amber snarls. **"Or I'll make sure to end you, all of you"**

"While I'm no doctor" The bald man responds by calmly letting out a puff of smoke. "I'm sure I can help your friend there".

Amber takes a moment to look at her Commander, before turning to the middle aged man.

"Fine" She says. "But just you know, if-"

"HEY WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU-" Another older man steps out from the crowd. This man is wearing a red bandana over his head, while he lacks shirt and shows a disgusting hairy body filled from hand to chest in tattoos.

***BOOM!***

…

"D-Did she just kill our boss!?" One of the pirates exclaims in utter dismay.

Who Amber just shot without as much as batting an eye was the captain of this bunch of bandits, but she could care less at this moment.

 **"** **Any more brave ones?"** Amber's voice booms through the ship.

Thankfully there are no more idiots, or so it seems.

"…Get to it" Amber responds and carefully places her Commander on the ship's deck, being extremely careful with his broken shoulder.

The old man who is no doctor takes a moment to examine the downed, before ordering a bunch of pirates to prepare for him a room and some utensils, who agree to work only thanks Amber's angry glare.

It takes a makeshift litter to pick Grey without hurting him more than he already is. As the doctor makes his way through the hallways full of busy pirates who are working on preventing their wrecked vessel to sink.

"Hey, little missy" The man calls at Amber, who only responds by giving him a death sentence in the form of staring. However, he either pays no mind or just doesn't feel the pressure. Both have reached the room which he will be using to operate "You can wait outside. I'll call you when I'm done"

"No" The girl simply responds. "I'm staying with my Commander until it's done"

The middle aged man responds with an amused smirk.

"…Is there any problem with that?" Amber's tone grows dark.

"Not at all" He responds with a smile. "Be my guest"

The door closes behind them.

On a pirate ship that was wrecked by a rocket launcher from 20 kilometers away, is a man who is no doctor operating a young man he doesn't know while accompanied by a girl who could sink this ship all by herself. The old man notes that for some reason, the pirates have suddenly found themselves following all of this girl's words to the letter, almost as if she had unofficially become the new captain of this crew.

He laughs for his insides.

_"_ _This trip just got a lot more interesting…"_


	4. Preparing for Tomorrow

The cold gives Amber goosebumps as she steps outside. Turning back to the elder couple, Amber bows her head respectfully with her arms perfectly at her sides. The sun has been gone for half an hour already, and even though the tropical climate of the place would normally keep even the night hot and humid, the cold breezes make those who're still hanging out of their houses shiver.

"Thank you very much for everything today, nanodesu!" Amber says clearly.

"Yeah, yeah, shoo already!" The man snarls, only to receive a kick to his left foot, courtesy of his wife. The old man grunts ungainly and narrows his eyes at the woman beside him, who is sporting a perfectly fake smile. Thankfully, the hell will not befall the young girl.

"Oh, please don't feel embarrassed, Amber" Mrs. Carlton vigorously refutes her husband's disinterest, and then squeezes the young girl in a bear hug. Amber feels uncomfortable, but decides that it'd be impolite to decline the old woman's overly forward affection. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you want".

"Bah! You're still going to see him?" Mr. Carlton scoffs.

" _Y-yesh, nanodeshu~_ " Amber responds with a muffled voice, her head stuck on Mrs. Carlton's bosom.

"BAH!" Mr. Carlton sneers with an obnoxious scoff, which promptly gets him another kick to his toes. "Dammit, woman! Stop aiming for my feet!"

"Oh, isn't it time for you to go to sleep already, dear?"

"BAH!" The old man hoots and retreats back inside.

The smile hasn't left the chubby woman's features in all this exchange. After making sure her husband is already gone, she increases the strength of her hug, easily lifting Amber's tiny frame off her feet.

"Why don't you just stay a little bit longer?" Mrs. Carlton squeals, and Amber notices how her breathing becomes jarred. "You're so tiny and cute, just like a doll! I just… I just want to eat you!"

_"Sh-shorry Mrsh. Cahlton. I' m-musht get goihn~"_ Amber responds nervously.

"Right, right" Mrs. Carlton bemuses. "Another day, promise?"

Amber knows that she'll raise a very bad flag if she refuses.

_"I-I c-can't…"_ Amber responds weakly.

"Do you promise?" The woman's grip on her becomes just a _little_ bit tighter.

_"H-Haaaaai~"_ Amber responds.

And after some pressing seconds, Mrs. Carlton lets go of Amber, seemingly satisfied. Amber gasps loudly as air reaches her lungs. If it had gone on, her face would have gone from red to blue, and she wasn't exactly comfortable with her face being red in the first place. Without missing another second, Amber takes a step away from the woman, bows quickly once again, then dashes into the streets.

"Remember, you promised! You'll come back another day!" Mrs. Carlton's voice reaches her ears. Amber just gives an awkward smile back and waves her hand without vigor.

_"I-I'm not sure how to feel about this…"_ Amber thinks nervously to her insides. Sure, the elder couple hadn't done anything harmful to her, but she had a sinking feeling that it was just a matter of time before _that something_ happened, whatever it may be.

She's not looking forward to any of that.

Sure, the couple's been offering her food and clothes, and even sweets. However, Amber had learned to respectfully decline the food and sweets when she didn't know their origin. Brand **and sealed** packages were the only type she would accept. Her first time trying the homemade food of Mrs. Carlton almost knocked her unconscious a minutes after eating it, and she immediately excused herself into the clinic before the lights went out. The excuse of an aching stomach wouldn't last forever.

Amber trots with light steps the blocks of the road, and eventually reaches the cross-section. She turns to the left and follows through the path that she's already accustomed to.

She finds that the town of Granberia isn't particularly bad, or so she thinks at the moment. To be honest, Amber finds that the problem doesn't lie in the place itself. Sure, the climate is hot, and the nights can be very cold, and there are always one or two Trekkos (Bipedal lizards with an elastic, thorny tongue capable of piercing your head) roaming around the waters and jungle borders, and there's also the fact that the only edible plant that grows around tastes like shit. But Amber can deal with all that. Sure it was confusing and somewhat strange, but she got used to it in the end.

The problem comes from the fact that a worrying percentage of the sapient population doesn't have trouble eating their own kind. Sure, they're cordial and reasonable, and even friendly and welcoming, but Amber doesn't like the fact that there is more than one person who's eyeing her, and not in the sociable or philanderer's way. She fears that one of these days she's going to become the snack of one of the inhabitants of the small isle.

It's been a week and 3 days ever since she, her Commander and the pirates docked on this island.

While her Commander's assault (she learned about it from the pirates of the crew) didn't damage the warship enough to sink it outright, the destruction to the pope and bridge couldn't be ignored. So, taking the most sensible course of action, they had to set course to the nearest dock for reparations. Normally, the pirates would have had gone back to their base, call for support from another friendly ship (Amber learned that this is rare among pirates, but happens every once in a blue moon. Turns out that at least some pirates aren't complete barbarians and actually know how to manage their business), or just abandoning their ship and invading another one, kill all the passengers, and declare the hijacked ship the new vessel, with the latter option being the most practical. Amber was reluctant to do anything of that sort, and was honestly relieved that there actually had been no encounters with other vessels. She wasn't sure she wouldn't do something horrible if her Commander's life depended on it. She felt horrible for weighing the scales the way she had done.

Amber had also found herself in a bizarre position after "presenting" herself to the crew. After executing a number of the resisting members of the S.S. _Nutcracker_ (God, did she hate that name) to get medical attention for her Commander, she actually killed Captain _Big Nuts_ (Name which she found inappropriate and utterly disgusting) in her advance. The point is, that after the bald man who offered to help her Commander (Who later introduced himself as Jack, and insisted that he was not related to any megalomaniac or handsome homonyms or something like that) took his broken body to a makeshift nursery, Amber found out that almost every pirate in the ship had decided to become _her_ lackey (With the opposition swiftly tossed into the sea). Turns out, that for some reason, the pirates had become some sort of devotees (or overly rabid fans at the eyes of anyone with common sense) who idolized the girl under the name which literally went as: "The wingless metal angel who brings ruin to her enemies with the divine lead of **_fucking_** justice!" (Registered trademark and pending revision. Amber finds a lot of things wrong with that title), and decided to reform their ranks. The sudden change of uniforms and tattoos were enough sign. It was still pretty strange to see herself immortalized with ink in the arms and torsos of the bandits, Amber thought. She also didn't know if she should feel flattered, or completely creeped out.

Yeah. A girl in her early teens is now the (unofficial) captain of a pirate crew. Some would say that the end of the world has come if they heard it.

No matter what she said, the remaining 15 or so pirates (Out of the original 30, give or take a few numbers. Even the pirates themselves weren't completely certain of what happened on their own ship) had decided to follow through with their new idol to the end. If she asked for something, no matter how small, the pirates would do their best to accomplish it… the problem was that they didn't have _any_ common sense, and also that their priorities were all messed up. One time a few days ago, while the Amber was around the deck and found herself tired, she meekly searched for a good place to sit, to be immediately approached by one of the pirates, who upon asking what she needed, immediately got down on all fours and _begged_ her to use him as a chair. Needless to say, Amber refused, and was even pushed to threatening with shooting off the pirate with her weapons as he didn't stop insisting to use him, but to her dismay, the declaration of using her cannon on anyone of the crew only seemed to cause some sort of ecstasy on them.

_"Please, Miss Amber! Show us the way! Don't let us forget the purity of your **fucking**_ _awesomeness! Open the way for us with your divine lead of **fucking**_ _justice!"_ Had become some sort of chant among the pirates. Amber doesn't understand why they need to swear so much, though. **_"MISS AMBER IS LOVE! MISS AMBER IS LIFE! MISS AMBER BRINGS DEATH WITH THE DIVINE LEAD OF FUCKING JUSTICE!"_**

Something about that mantra doesn't belong there…

With her newly appointed ownership over their lives, the pirates had asked Amber of what should they do next. It had been because of her orders that they were now in a small island one day to the south away from where Grey had found her. After docking the ship under Jack's needs (and a few hours of blind manual sailing), the not-doctor and young girl went on a 10-plus-hour marathon in fixing the Commander.

_"We've managed to mend most of his external injuries, I've popped his left arm and legs back in their places, so it's only a matter of time for those, however, I can't do anything about his busted right shoulder nor his organs like this. I've made a workaround for the internal bleeding, but it won't last forever, and he's also lost a lot of blood. So, unless you want to make him one-armed right here and now, we need to get to a proper facility"_ Had been Jack's words after the surgeries were done. Amber had eaten through the fear and nausea of seeing Grey's damaged and mangled body, and bravely assisted Jack into the practice of good ol' semi-archaic medicine. There was no dedicated medical equipment to use on the ship, but Amber was honestly surprised to see the hairless man operate Grey with makeshift tools made from anything they could gather in the ship.

And as soon as the surgery ended, Grey was taken into the hospital of Granberia. Well, hospital may be pushing it, as it more or less is just a small clinic with only one local doctor to attend the patients. When a group of 15+ pirates with the image of a girl immortalized on their chests enter any place, it's prone to get deserted in an instant. Taking advantage of the turn of events, Jack finished the restoration of Grey's shattered shoulder without any more hiccups. In this day and age, any clinic can get access to Anshin's health kits and rejuvinators, and Jack clearly abused them. Amber didn't really know what all the needles had been at the moment, and had been honestly terrified when Jack started piercing her Commander with needles one after the other, injecting him with an icky strange red substance, and discarding each empty vial without a second thought.

Amber feels honestly marveled (and also a little bit scared) at how easy it is to fix broken bones. She doesn't know yet that it's in part thanks to such powerful and cheap medicines that the pirates and criminals just won't die, though. Not that she isn't relieved that it's thanks to them that her Commander's life was saved.

Anyways, it's been one week and three days ever since they docked into Granberia, and Amber has spent her time getting to know the locals, for better or worse. Even if none of the villagers seem nonplussed at the presence of pirates in their island, and even welcome them with open arms, Amber has noticed that a few of her lackeys haven't been showing themselves around for a few days straight now…

_"Hey, little missy. Just a heads up"_ Had been Jack's words as they approached land. _"Keep your guard up around the locals"_

Amber trembles discomforted at the thought of the pirates being eaten for dinner. Sure, she doesn't really understand them, nor are they really important to her, but the thought of lunching on another person's body screams all kinds of wrong to her.

Amber quickens her pace, rushing in the middle of the night back to the clinic. She's sort of made the small building of three rooms, a hall and bathroom her base for the time being. She spots one of the pirates, who she remembers as Gyro (whatever kind of name that is) at the entrance of the clinic.

"Mam!" The shirtless bandit exclaims with his raspy voice at the girl, evidently rejoiced on seeing the young girl again. "You back!"

"Tadaima, Gyro-san" Amber smiles a little. "How were things today?"

"Nuthing, mam!" Gyro salutes passionately, puffing his tattooed right arm up to his chest, as if showing off the ink drawing of Amber's face. "Coast 's clear n' no 'un 'round all day 'cept fur Doc"

Even if the bald, fedora-wearing man insisted that he was no doctor, he had it coming after demonstrating how he operated Grey. Sure, he hit in the face those who called him doctor to his… face, pun intended, but most of the pirates had just decided to keep calling him behind his back. Amber herself had decided to call him _Sensei_. She wasn't sure why she was unconsciously adding strange words to her speech recently, but no one had really said anything about it. Unknown to her, the pirates found it oddly endearing, and specially loved how she ended her phrases with _"nanodesu"_. Also, in one of the first days on the ship, when Amber was extremely distrusting of the pirates and kept her weapons ready at all time, she was once surprised when one pirate sneaked on her, resulting in her crying with a cute _"Hawawawa!"_ , which pierced the hearts of many. Amber actually also sent a few to the clinic herself after they tried to sneak on her again…

(Those who got to hear it don't regret it one bit, both those who lived as well as those who didn't. Just kidding, they all survived, although they wouldn't mind dying for it).

In a few words, the pirates of the S.S. _Nutcracker_ (Amber has already requested the name to be changed, and is one of the most fiercely discussed matters among the crew these days. Needless to say, no one can come up with a one that doesn't include vulgarity, leaving everyone back into square one every time) are a bunch of idiots.

"I see" Amber responds. "Thanks for your hard work, Gyro-san"

"No prob! Ya gon' ta bed, mam?" Gyro asks.

"Not yet" Amber says while opening the door.

"Righty" The bulky man responds. "Me be 'ere. If need 'nythin, jus' call"

"Oyasuminasai, Gyro-san" Amber bids adieu to the pirate as she enters the clinic.

The inside is only lit by the moonlight that filters through the curtains hanging on the walls of the small hall. The interior is ordered and cleaned, due to Amber's daily routine of cleaning the place. Jack had told her that she didn't need to be so diligent, but she insisted on having the place neat. The only time that the pirates set foot inside, were chased out by a hysteric Amber wielding her twin cannon, the reason being that once the not-so-bright men found the janitor's closet, they decided to use all the detergents and cleaning utensils for a small-scale battle, which quickly escalated, turning the clinic's hall into a warzone. It seems like these fellows have never held a dusting brush or even a mop in their entire lives. Needless to say, Amber forbade them from _ever_ entering the place.

That, and also the fact that they're all basically men-children.

Men-children with guns…

And a warship…

Finding replacements proved an impossible task for the idiot bunch to do on their own, forcing Amber to look for them herself. It amazed her how simple it was to obtain vials capable of healing extreme injuries, but there was nothing to ease the everyday house chores. There was also the matter of the pirates not doing anything really productive. Sure, there always were one or two following her around (Something which she had decided to give up on dealing with after the 6th. day and about a hundred times of telling them to stop, with no avail), and they even took her by total surprise her when they offered to mount a guard on the clinic. Amber couldn't decide if these people were idiots or were hiding their true selves behind masks of silliness.

They were a headache. That much was for sure.

Anyways, the lack of cleaning equipment was one of the reasons that she had been recently visiting the town. The rest were to collect resources, both food and materials to repair the ship, and to gather any form of information pertaining their current position.

After examining the damage to the bridge, Jack informed Amber that basically, all the electronics were busted. He did say that surely at least some things could be salvaged, and that most surely, he'd be able to get the mainframe running up again, but that most likely, they'd need to re-install the whole navigation systems, if not forgo the auto pilot completely, and trace their routes by themselves, manually. There was also the matter of fuel, which Jack informed wouldn't let them travel too far. Amber at first had insisted going to "Rho", remembering that her Commander had mentioned that place back when they first met, but was disappointed when Jack informed her that it was out of the question. Amber has spent the last few days going around gathering any form of maps and charts in advance should Jack be unable to restore the systems as to start moving with as little setbacks as possible.

Alas, Amber cannot go anywhere. At least nowhere she knows.

Amber drops the leather backpack with caution, and carefully takes out the maps that she's gathered from Mr. and Mrs. Carlton's. Amber places the old parchments of faded paper on the large table on the center of the room and neatly separates each individual sheet. These maps are antique, judging from the washed ink and barely visible lines, and Amber isn't sure if they're going to be of any help, but she's going to let Jack decide on that.

Amber stretches her arms upwards and gives a long yawn. It's been a long day.

Finishing the organization of the new maps, Amber stands from the ground and gives slow steps towards one of the patient rooms of the clinic, and finds the same picture she's been seeing for the past ten days. Switching on the floor lamp on the entrance, Amber approaches her Commander with tiny steps.

Grey lies in bed with his eyes closed. His breathing is stable, and his complexion is much better than what it was when he was first brought in, but still isn't what Amber remembers. His bare, well-toned chest and right shoulder are encased by thick bandages, which are meant more to keep his recovering shoulder in place and allow it to heal than to stop blood from leaking. His skin has recovered almost all of its tone, as Amber has kept close note of all the changes since the first day. Amber notes that he's sweating, and proceeds to take one of the many sterilized towels from the bucket at the feet of the bed, then gently strokes Grey's forehead, taking the droplets out of his face. Amber retires the hair of his face, noting that his hair now reaches his eyes, while it barely reached the middle of his forehead just a few days ago. She had thought that Grey had short hair when they first met, but in reality, it had only been an illusion, as Grey's usual hairstyle had him pull his hair back, revealing his temple and face while pushing his bangs away, but once his locks came back down his face would be covered under the strands of sandy brown hair. It was a curious change of appearance, Amber noted, and one she found didn't dislike, and add to that that Amber could now actually see his ears, as the mask that he had never taken off ever since they met was now resting on the nightstand along with the rest of his equipment. His clothes had been disposed of, having been torn beyond reparation, and only his shoes had been salvaged along with a few magazines of ammunition and various objects from the pockets of his pants, including his busted ECHO, which was kept on Jack's suggestion, his Shield, as well as the shoulder holster which still had the Dahl handgun inside. The poncho was burned alongside the torn shirt and pants as well. Of course, Amber had gone out of her way to get new clothes for her Commander, getting a simple white cotton shirt, a new set of underwear, and a pair of old (yet wearable) jeans. She wasn't sure if that would suffice, but she had managed to at least get something for her Commander to wear once he woke up.

According to Jack, it's only a matter of time, but she wishes for that to happen as soon as possible.

The first days were the worst, Amber stood idly by Grey's side from day to night, barely eating anything, but she realized she just couldn't stand still and do nothing, and thanks also to some wake-up words from Jack, after the 3rd night, she decided to leave her catatonic state, meaning that she has spent the last seven days moving around Granberia, the docked ship (which she refuses to call by its name), and the clinic. Everyday she'd wake up first light in the morning, and visit the pirate vessel to help.

Jack was in charge of the vessel's reparations, and surprised Amber when he accepted her help without any complaints, so she usually spent the mornings alongside the pirates. She had been helping moving around the new panels and various equipment, and surprised everyone, including herself, when she demonstrated being capable of lifting with ease the large pieces of metal and move them with relative ease, and of course, she was revered once more under a chant of _"OH GREAT WINGLESS METAL ANGEL! WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY OF YOUR **FUCKING**_ _AWESOMENESS!"_

Also, on her 5th day, Amber discovered that she had a great pulse for the plasma cutter, which Jack quickly took note of, and hereby gave her the title "Deft Plasma".

The crew and Jack learned that day that Amber loses her cool when referred to by anything related to the 4th state of matter, and it wasn't pretty.

After clearing up the sweat of his forehead, Amber turns on the ceiling fan in the lowest speed to help keep Grey cool, and then proceeds to check the IVs on his wrists. She finds nothing out of place, and hearing his rhythmic breathing, she relaxes.

"Oyasuminasai, Shirei-kan sa" Amber says softly as she leaves the room.

Back at her room, Amber takes off her clothes. She's wearing a short red sundress that reaches just below her waist and tight black polyester shorts underneath, accompanied by industrial boots that had been adapted for her frame by Jack, it had been hard to come by these, but Amber learned that her shoes weren't safe for work, as she almost set fire to herself when hot sparks jumped on her socks on her first day in the ship. It's a strange combination that of a denim sundress, shorts and knee-length work boots, but Amber doesn't have much to choose regarding her attires. Sure, she still had her original clothes, but it wasn't like she could use them every single day straight. Right now she had her original clothes minus one sock, the short red sundress she was currently wearing, and a men's white cotton shirt (Which came from the same place she got Grey's), which she only used when going to the sleep. Her work clothes consisted of a dark blue, greasy and oversized jumpsuit, which she wore alongside a pair of full gloves which right now were at the ship, and for her bottom, two sets of different colored, yet otherwise identical taut polyester shorts, of which she was now wearing the black one, the other being a dark olive-green one. On the matter of underwear, Amber used the same pair every day, because she refused to use what the pirates had gathered for her. There was a problem in the… design choices of the unmentionables.

Amber knows that she can wash and use the same undies for so long, though. She fears for the day she'll have to use those lewd _black laces_ …

Amber undoes the cord holding her ponytail. She lost her brooch when she fell in the sea, and had decided to stick with a ponytail until she found another pin to hold her locks on her back, but for the time being, it sufficed. Amber enters the adjacent room to Grey's, where she's been sleeping for these past days. Reaching for the clock on the nightstand, Amber reads 8:34 p.m. on the glowing screen. Amber folds her shorts, hangs her sundress on the curtain, and places her boots on the bed's feet, alongside her black gearbox, which she hadn't used again ever since that time 10 days ago, more due to the low ammo than the actual need to use it.

Amber still doesn't understand quite yet what her weapons are, and Jack has been adamant about making her use them, and even though Amber's shown her the primed equipment a few times to him (more for exposition, not really for use), it seems not even the not-doctor knows exactly what the strange box is, and he seems quite interested in it.

She has also learned that the box only responds to her, and that it's useless by its own. Jack took it once for examination, but he wasn't able to get anything conclusive. Whatever it really was (outside of the obvious) remained a mystery. Of course, that only gave place to more questions, adding to the load of the already existing ones.

Who exactly _is_ Amber? She herself doesn't know, but something inside her told her that being able to walk on the water's surface and the weapons she carried weren't exactly natural. Add to that the fact that she was sleeping buried on some forsaken island. Where does she come from? Who was she before all this? Why does she feel like she's forgetting something at all times?

What is the meaning behind her guns? Those aren't the usual guns you can find on your usual vending machine, Jack had assured her (Amber had a hard time digesting that with only a few bucks, you could buy a gun no questions asked). It's not every day that you see a weapon capable of sinking a ship, or at least not in the form of personal arms. Jack told her that she could surely fight head-on with a small warship, most likely anything around destroyer caliber, but _why_ was Amber given such powerful artillery? Is she supposed to fight? If that is it, who or what is she supposed to fight?

_What_ was she going to do?

_Where_ was she going to go?

… _When_ was Grey going to wake up?

She turns on the alarm, setting it to 5:00 a.m.; Amber puts on the large cotton shirt she's been using all this time for sleeping, the shirt reaches all the way down to her knees, and the sleeves and neck are wide, giving Amber ample freedom of movement.

She is about to jump in bed, before she spies the nightstand's contents out of the corner of her vision. Reluctant, she approaches the small metallic set of chair and table near the window, and sits down.

Turning on the small lamp on top of the thin glimmering table, the girl reaches for the small recording diary that lies on top of it. It has the form of a small tablet with a set of buttons on the lower side, and a screen that is almost as big as the device itself. Amber took ahold of it when the pirates were sorting their "loot" a few days ago (Amber found their definition of loot questionable, but otherwise didn't bother them too much). After she found the device, Jack suggested her to use it to keep track of her journey. It was no ECHO, that was for sure, being only capable of recording video and audio and store it inside its internal memory; Jack had called it old fashioned, but perfectly functional. Reluctant, Amber had taken it with her under Jack's insistence that she started her own binnacle. He had told her that nowadays almost everyone (who had lucidity) had their own personal diary, for dying was easy. She didn't like the idea at first, but in the end took the device with her.

_"Little missy. In Chariot, like most other planets invaded by bandits, filth and insanity, you can never know when you'll be getting a bullet on your head"_ Had been Jack's words. _"Us psychos and bandits have no need to turn back, and no one would nor should ever bat their eyes for us. But you're no bandit, and you're no psycho either, so it is people like you who need to leave behind their proof of existence, proof that not everything is gone to hell, and even more in a place full of death like this cursed planet, for us old have caused too much shit to the young. Little missy, that kid you call Commander is treading the same path of us, and I know you'll follow him to the end. However, you shouldn't forget who you are now, because you'll lose yourself if you stay with him"_

Amber wasn't too sure of what Jack had meant, but his words were sad and bitter, and in the end took the recorder just to please him.

She didn't remember anything about herself before her sealing. It was a complicated feeling, one she couldn't make sense of, but carried on with it nonetheless. Jack's words were strange, but she felt like she had heard the same thing somewhere before.

Amber stares at the device intently for a few seconds, pushing and pulling her hand from the button a few times. After the third time, she takes a deep breath, and pressing the button with the triangle, she points the device's camera at her face. The device buzzes and emits one single beep, indicating that the recording function is on. Amber sees a previously dead red spot turn on as well.

Amber sheepishly clears her throat. She has no real idea of where to begin, so she starts from the beginning.

"Hmm… My name is… well, I'm called Amber, and I'm currently located on the planet Chariot. The date is 21st of June, year 5264 according to the unified human calendar… I think, nanodesu. The local date in Chariot is the 30th of the Fifth month, year 72. The local hour reads 8:37 p.m." Amber was given a crash course yesterday by the pirates of how time was measured.

There were 10 months referred to as the first, second, third and so on in Chariot, which confused her at first, and each month had 32 days, each comprised of 24 hours, giving Chariot a year of 320 days and 7680 hours total. Amber wasn't sure why that didn't sound right, but she had to convince herself after looking at the various documents (mainly from the dated sea charts) she had been retrieving recently, and was complicated even further when she was introduced to the "Unified Human Calendar", or UHC for short, which she found a lot more familiar, but that didn't save her once she learnt the gist of it. The UHC had the months from January to December, and they had either 30 or 31 days, which she finds familiar. Two calendars, one local for Chariot itself, and one for use whenever matters involving planets in different regions arose. Thankfully, the diary had a built-in calendar reading the UHC date, so that only left her to learn the local date. Amber still struggled somewhat with the concept of different calendars.

"Today is the tenth night ever since we docked near the town of Granberia…

Well, uhm…

I was found ten days ago by my Commander, Grey Arkham, who is currently searching for the Vault located on this planet, nanodesu. According to him, he was contacted by a mysterious entity called the 'Empty Braver', who guided him to my… resting position. I was located sleeping inside a metallic container in an island somewhere around the eastern seas. After being… woken up by my Commander, we were about to leave the island with destiny to the Rho District, which is where he lives. However, we were unable to go for our destination, because we were attacked by pirates as soon as we left the island, nanodesu.

I… I was taken by my Commander to a vehicle called Hydro-bike, and we tried to escape from the pirates, who were attacking us from their warship, which I refuse to name due to it being inappropriate. Er…

During our escape… I… I didn't cooperate with my Commander, and that caused the downfall for both of us. I wouldn't listen to my Commander's words, being too scared to act, and I fell to the ocean floor. I didn't witness directly the following events, but from what I was told, my Commander turned his way back and confronted the pirates… killing the five who were following us, and also managing to damage the warship itself. I don't have the full details, but according to the pirates and Jack-sensei, my Commander fired a series of rockets from more than 20 kilometers away from the ship, and managed to score one hit on the bridge and another on the pope. However, he was unable to sink them.

When I came back to my senses, the battle was over. I discovered upon regaining consciousness that I had managed to activate the black gearbox which was found in the container I was sleeping upon, and that my equipment allowed me to… slide on the water's surface. I located my Commander unconscious floating on the sea in critical condition.

I…

I took him with me and assaulted the warship, being the nearest place I could find any form of attention. I was able to perform an incredible jump from the water's surface, and crash-landed in the ship's deck. I know all this sounds incredible, but it is the truth.

Once I reached the deck, I demanded medical attention for my Commander, and… I… I… I killed three of the men aboard. I wasn't able to catch the names of the first two pirates I shot with my twin cannon, but the third one was the captain"

Amber takes a deep breath, recalling the gruesome memories of how she mercilessly shot three men. After the adrenaline was gone, Amber felt seriously sick for the following day, until she was kicked back into reality by Jack.

_"They died? Well shit. You had someone you wanted to protect. If you hadn't taken out those who were in your path, I'm sure we wouldn't have saved this kid's life"_

Amber argued immediately that there were a lot of things wrong with saying that something like that so nonchalantly, but Jack retorted that Grey could have died if she had been just a few minutes late, and for that she had no answer. Had she taken the time to try and reason with the pirates, Grey would have bled out due to his internal injuries. Also, Jack told her that the pirates wouldn't have listened to her should she had tried to talk anyways.

In a few words, the most violent course of action was the only course of action. Any other alternatives would have resulted in her Commander's death.

But it still troubled her. As much as she didn't want to, when she weighed the lives of the pirates and her Commander's, Grey's life was always more important, even above the whole crew's, Jack-sensei's… and her own. She questioned herself why it was like that, but always found herself with a splitting headache when she thought too deeply about it. She had no answer.

Amber didn't understand what pushed her so far for her Commander. She barely knew him, and yet she had discarded everything, even her morals, to assure his survival. But _why_ was it that she was so compelled to sacrifice it all if it meant saving the young man she didn't even know? But a better question arose after it.

_Why was she so scared of the thought of losing him?_

A creeping sensation beneath her back told her that she wouldn't be able to survive that… _again?_

Scratching her temple nervously, Amber continues the recording.

"Jack-sensei performed surgery while the ship was set the course for then unallocated town of Granberia, we had to take the risk and sail without systems or real indication of where we were going, but it was thanks to Sensei's instructions that we managed to dock near the aforementioned isle, which is a few kilometers down to the south of the place I was sleeping in. This was done because I insisted on treating the Commander first and foremost, and Jack-sensei didn't have all the required materials needed to fully heal the Commander on the ship. So we stopped at the northern beach of Granberia, and rushed into the clinic of the town. There we finally managed to stabilize the Commander. That was ten days ago.

The following days I've spent working on repairing the ship and collecting sea charts for the nearby future. According to Jack-sensei, the damage to the bridge was so great that most surely he won't be able to have the automatic systems repaired, and force us to rely on manual mapping. While it isn't definitive, Jack-sensei wanted everyone to be prepared for the worst, so I've been gathering any form of maps to help Sensei, as well as the reparations of the ship. In the mornings I go to the ship, and in the evenings I gather whatever Jack-sensei needs me to.

I've found out that I possess physical strength that doesn't match my body frame in these days. I'm not sure what to feel about it…

The ship's reparations are going smoothly. The damage to the pope is nearing complete fixing, according to the pirates, it should be ready tomorrow late, but the bridge will still take some time, and Jack-sensei hasn't given me word about the systems even after 10 days. Today I got some maps from Mr. and Mrs. Carlton from the town. Mr. Carlton says he participated in a war 20 or so years ago, and he apparently made the maps himself; I'm not sure if the maps will be of use to Jack-sensei, but I hope that my efforts have not been in vain".

Amber stops for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

"I am still not sure of how to face the pirates. They make me feel uncomfortable… but they have been helping me a lot. I'm not sure whether they are good or bad people yet, because they haven't left their old ways… even though I killed the former captain and two more of their comrades, no one bats an eye nor seem bothered by it. In fact, I've become somewhat of an idol for them… which is uncomfortable… b-but they still treat me very nicely, and haven't done anything to the Commander!

…

…It's thanks to them that I've been able to focus on other things. Perhaps it's not my place to say, but I'm sure the Commander would be very surprised to know that its thanks to them that we managed to make it here… although I shouldn't be leaving out Jack-sensei, of course. It was him who performed surgery on the Commander, so without him, he wouldn't…"

Amber trails off, lowering her gaze momentarily before turning back at the diary.

"It's my fault that the Commander's in the state he's in. I don't understand anything of this place.

There are so many things that are wrong, so many things that I don't understand… And… And... It's frustrating, but I lack the power to do anything… and this impotence makes me angry for some reason I can't understand. I feel that I'm so… so tiny in this incomprehensible planet…"

Amber's eyes are swollen. But she doesn't let any tears out. She hates her inability to do anything but wait, but she can't do anything else. She fights the tears, but feels a mixture of emotions eating her from the inside.

"Please wake up soon, Commander…"

She presses the button of a square on the device, and the device beeps and stops recording, displaying the message "SAVED 21/6/5264 – 1". Amber then reaches for the power switch on the top of the device and turns it off. Pushing it to the side, Amber remains motionless on the chair for a minute with her eyes closed.

She's unable to keep the tears in.

_"Please wake up soon…"_


	5. Touch and Go

Jack wanted to think that the universe worked in mysterious ways. He _wanted_ to think so because he had never really trusted on the assertion, moved more onto the side of _trying_ to believe in so. For all fortune, there _should_ be accompanying misfortune; for anything given, there _should_ be something taken. To this day and age, there still wasn't a definitive refute to the rules of thermodynamics. No one had ever found conclusive evidence against the laws of (most) physics, and still, the nifty thing known as the scientific method had served to keep humanity's whims going for a long time.

Rinse and repeat until you've found the answer. Well, not exactly, but that was how Jack tried to make his way through life. Do things until the outcome is different, do things until you've discarded all the impossibilities, until you've found an answer with the help of logic.

…

…

…

But everyone gives the middle finger to logic in Chariot, so Jack gives his own obnoxious "Fuck you!" to it most of the time too.

However, it doesn't change the fact that living with minimal logic means that there are things that never change.

Such as having a gun pointed to your face first thing you know.

…

Well, considering that Chariot is a big cluster of nonsensical workings, it's a miracle that people hadn't forgotten the basic impulse of murder, or at least the killer instinct perfectly focused on another human being.

Not that Jack is racist, most of the creatures of Chariot can go to hell too.

…

…

It's fearsome how humans can adapt. Jack doesn't even feel remotely fazed at the possibility of getting a bullet (or various) through his head.

…

…

Damn, that little missy will only have it harder in the future with an idiot like this.

Jack stares nonplussed, completely unperturbed and even sleepy at the muzzle of the gun aiming for his head less than a meter from him. He wouldn't have been surprised to know that even his heartrate was slow. There was no sweat, there was no nervousness, no anxiety or instinct of self-preservation in him. His only thoughts drifted far into the nothing, as even his priorities were jumbled beyond his own understanding, changing and shifting back and forth between the mundane and transcending. Jack is feeling drowsy, even though there's a naked (well, barely bandaged and _somewhat_ covered) young man aiming with a deadly gun at him with a perfectly lethal aim.

"Do I need to repeat myself!?" Grey growls for the nth time. His words haven't had any effect in all this time, but he's too stubborn to simply let things go their way when he was out of the loop.

Jack stares at the Vault Hunter with half-closed, lethargic eyes.

"Kid, you're making an idiot out of yourself" The older man says. "Why don't you use your brain for once?"

"I don't like how you keep calling me kid, and it seems you don't understand where you're standing" the younger one snarls. " _I_ am the one with the _gun_ , and even though I feel like shit, I _can_ put a freaking bullet into your goddamn face, and _will_ do if you don't answer me"

Jack sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, before tilting his head upwards and producing a loud yawn.

"Don't want to, too much trouble" Jack says.

Grey's anger spikes at this. Without taking a second thought, he pulls the trigger, and three bangs pierce the air of the otherwise silent room of the clinic. Grey is taken aback by the lack of effect of his weapon, seeing how the air around the fedora-wearing man pulses with small ripples of white light, and the bullets seemingly disappear in thin air when they were supposed to enter inside their target's body.

Jack stares unamused at Grey.

"I could stand here all day" He says with a bored expression.

"…Shit" Grey curses under his breath.

"Well, now that that is out of the way…" Jack says and reaches for the small chair near the window, which he promptly turns towards Grey, and then proceeds to sit in. He takes out a cigarette out of the inside pocket of his coat, which he promptly turns out with a lighter also produced from the same place. "You're going to answer me some questions now"

Grey gives an incredulous look to the old man.

"Why in the seven heavens should _I_ be answering any of _your_ goddamn questions?"

Jack stares blankly at him for a full ten seconds. Grey stares fiercely at the man, who in return keeps an undecipherable mug for all the interval.

"Yeah, I got nothing" Jack says plainly, puffing a cloud of smoke into the air.

Grey almost flops down to the ground.

"T-The hell!? What is wrong with you!?" Grey shrieks, his nerves sending all kinds of contradicting signals to his brain.

"Hmm… then, how about this? I ask a question, you answer that question, then you make a question, and I answer it, and we repeat until we're both satisfied" Jack suggests, raising both hands over his shoulders. "We both win this way"

"Or I shoot you until you're dead" Grey retorts, his aim having never left the older man's head.

"That'd be a waste of ammo" Jack simply shrugs.

"But that'd shut you up, which is better"

"Well then, by all means, shoot to your heart's content"

Grey lets his gun carry on the conversation, as he fires until it clicks empty. Grey's irritation grows when he finds that none of his shots had any effect, with all bullets disappeared in thin air under ripples of white light.

…At least he destroyed the cigarette, which falls lazily into the ground. Jack watches gravity take its action, and lazily lights another cigarette without making a fuss.

"Vladof Absorbing Shield, son" Jack says out of character, as if he had suddenly become some sort of salesman advertising his wares, or more like if he were showing them off. Grey found it all irritating. "And not your average crappy shit you buy in any vending machine. No, son, this is good shit, great shit, _amazing_ shit, **_legendary_** caliber shit. You'd need ten bandit machine guns fired point blank before even a _tenth_ of this beauty's protection was chipped off. **_This_** good is my protection"

"Bullshit" Grey refutes immediately, the disbelief apparent in his face. "There are no Vladof shields like that"

"Kid, you just emptied the 15 rounds of that Dahl Repeater straight into my head, and I got _no_ scratches. Do you need more proof?" Jack says matter-of-factly. "I know that absorbing shields aren't that great, and even worse for covering your face. Kid, I know my shit. And if you can't accept what you've just seen with your own fucking eyes, in front of your own fucking face, live and direct, then you're a much bigger idiot than you look. Kid, I thought you were better than that"

Grey glares fiercely at the mysterious man, who remains nonplussed at his chair.

"F… F-Fuck you!" Grey shrieks indignantly.

Jack sighs and tilts his head with his eyes closed.

"So, idiot, as I was-"

"Wait, what!?" Grey notices the sudden change of naming.

"Sorry, I slipped" Jack says nonchalantly. "Are you up for a session of Q&A? My proposal still stands"

Grey takes a moment. He glances at the empty gun in his now hanging right arm, and then back at Jack, who is waiting patiently for him. Sighing, Grey reaches for the gun's shoulder holster that lied in the floor, which he promptly picks up. Sliding the gun into the leather, Grey turns to the old man.

"…All right, but before we begin, let me grab something to eat. And we're not talking here, I hate hospital rooms" Grey says.

Jack shrugs.

"Whatever suits you, kid"

* * *

 

Walking on the sand of the beach of Granberia, Grey and Jack walk side by side, with the former having clothed himself with the white shirt and old jeans that he found in the room, as well as the shoulder holster and fanny, which he attached to the pants' waist. He's not wearing his mask, having it attached and hanging from the fanny's strap, while his shield is secured to his right hip. He doesn't have the mask on because his ECHO is busted, meaning that there's not much the mask can do now. The mask's systems are fully dependent on his ECHO, and while that has made his mask practically useless, the offline ECHO by itself has left him in a tight spot: He has no access to his weapons besides his not-digistructed Repeater, or to his money, communicator or maps. In short, until Grey gets the ECHO repaired, he's pretty much unarmed and vulnerable. Sure, he could get it repaired, but only Danny knew how. He _could_ get another one for the time being, but that'd be more trouble than it's worth, since he'd need to update the whole information by himself, since he has no real way to transfer the data from his old ECHO. Also, no one back at Rho would take the call from some random number.

The sun is high up in the air, being around 10. Grey woke up just this morning, and received a nasty surprise in the form of Jack prying around his room. The first encounter wasn't pretty. Grey exploded in a plethora of questions shot one after the other without waiting for a response for any of them. It was only due to Jack's inaction and perfect poker face that Grey was forced to calm down by his own, until he managed to at least speak in a way that could be humanly understood.

Grey didn't trust the older man, but he knew that he had no idea of where he was now or what happened. His memories before passing out were fuzzy and sparse, only recalling that he lost Amber, and anything after that was fuzzy. That had been one of his first questions, after inquiring about where he was or who Jack was, but he received no answer as his barrage fell on deaf ears.

However, that had been just a few minutes ago when he just woke up, now it was time to get real answers. Taking a bite of the Ewfruit (the local fruit of Granberia), Grey gave a muffled grunt under his breath. It was chewy and bitter, almost to the point of nastiness, but Grey gulped it down nonetheless, as his stomach hadn't received any real nutrition for days. Jack advised him to take it easy, but the young man rebelliously prompted him an ungracious "Don't tell me what to do!" by taking a bite into the green bumps that had been laying around the hall of the clinic.

…The taste is horrible, still.

"Can we get on with this already?" Jack muses.

"Yeah, yeah" Grey swallows the bitter fruit. "But I make the first question"

"Sure, whatever"

Grey takes another bite, and painfully crunches it with his teeth. Swallowing the ungodly food, he reaches for his mouth with his right hand, holding the nausea in.

"Where is the girl who was with me?"

"I told you, we're going to meet her now, and just to save your breath, yes, she's fine and dandy" Jack sighs. "Well, my turn. Just to confirm, you _are_ a Vault Hunter, right? And don't even think about lying, I can see through you perfectly"

"Same goes to you, old man" Grey responds icily. He doesn't trust him at all, however, he does need to get answers. Still, that doesn't mean he'll answer _everything_. "But why are you so interested in that?"

"Because of the girl" Jack says, puffing out another cloud of gray smoke. "You got to her first, so-"

"Wait, WHAT!?" Grey interrupts. "What does Amber have anything to do with this!?"

Jack turns his head back to Grey without moving the rest of his body.

"I answered your question, now I get to make one, wasn't that the d-"

"Bullshit! You explained nothing!"

Jack sighs.

"Kid, stop interrupting others when speaking, those're _real_ bad manners"

"Who're you to say? You're a _bandit_ , dammit! _A BANDIT!_ "

"Being a bandit has nothing to do with manners" Jack points out simply. "Yeah, I live to kill and steal, but that doesn't mean I can't have civil conversations with another human. What, do I look like your average slag-addict pothead?"

He has a point.

"…Fine" Grey admits. He still doesn't like him, still. "But we got sidetracked. Give me a real answer, or else you can call this over"

"Fair enough" Jack agrees. "Simply put, we were going for that girl, but you beat us to it. We had the location, and so, were going to get her, but we had… some setbacks, and when we finally reached the island, you were already with her. Of course, everyone got trigger happy and went for your head"

"Hold on!" Grey stops, dropping the fruit on the sand. "You knew that you were after a _girl_? How did you know that in the first place? I didn't even know what I was getting at back then!"

"Because _I_ knew what we were up against then" Jack responds cryptically. "As soon as we saw her with you, we had no choice but to kill you both on the spot"

"Wait, what the hell does that mean!?" Grey shouts.

Jack looks back at him with a bored expression.

"I've answered a lot of questions straight, so now you'll be answering me some" He drops the cigarette on the ground and steps on it, but sees that Grey isn't convinced at the current rate of exchange. "Don't you think that's fair?"

"No!" Grey growls. "It's not fair!"

"Then what do you think is fair? That I simply comply and do as you say like a little bitch?"

"Just answer the goddamn questions! I have no idea of anything, I don't even know what day is it today, and you're just making fun of me!" Grey replies.

"…I was never making fun of you. I proposed a deal, you accepted, and now you're breaking it. Kid, what the hell is wrong with you?" Jack states matter-of-factly.

"Just take me to Amber, dammit!" Grey cries desperately.

Jack sighs in bored, mock defeat.

"Then, just one more question, and don't feel obliged to answer it"

"Huh?"

The old man turns his head to the sea, gazing at the dense white clouds that are floating in the horizon.

"It was I who saved your sorry ass after you wrecked our ship" Jack states. "And don't think I didn't notice that thing on your occipital, the back of your skull if you don't understand. What did they do to-"

"Stop" Grey prevents the older man from saying anything else, with a sever frown, one that Jack knows is genuine and grave, the kind of seriousness that only those who've been through some serious stuff can muster. "That's… that's none of your business"

Jack is unamused and nonplussed, with no expression on his face. He doesn't say anything else, keeping his word.

Both men continue their walk on the beach without speaking a single word. The skies are clear, welcoming a sunny morning.

* * *

 

"C-Commander!" Comes Amber's voice as she sees the Vault Hunter coming onto the ship's deck.

"H-Hey, Amber" Grey sheepishly says, but panics once he turns to her. "W-w-w-what are you-"

Amber sobs and lets the tears flow from her eyes as she falls to her knees. The oversized jumpsuit and gloves she's wearing, plus the grease and black spots in her face and arms make it a strange scene. A girl is bawling her eyes out in the most uncommon of places, and Grey can't help but find it endearing.

"…Sorry, I left you alone" Grey closes the distance between him and the girl, and crouches down on her. "Erm… I'm… well… are you okay?"

And under the tears and snot coming from her face, Amber gives him the most radiant smile he's ever had the pleasure of seeing. It makes for a humorous oxymoron, how her smile is tiny, yet radiant, and accompanied by cascades of tears and transparent mucus.

"I… I'm fine, Commander. Welcome back, nanodesu" She says beamingly.

However, the sweet scene is broken immediately by none other than Jack.

"Yeah, I hate to be that guy, but we need to get down to business now" He says unceremoniously, kicking the sweet atmosphere like a beaten dog. Grey feels annoyed by a whole set of reasons. "Sorry, little missy, but we need to make a decision now"

Grey helps Amber stand from her kneeling position, taking her hand. It's here that he notices how filthy and shaken she is. Her hair, which had been under a plastic brooch, is now messy in the form of an undone ponytail. The greasy jumpsuit is oversized, and he notes how it bags around her waist and armpits.

Grey also takes a moment to take a peek around, feeling nervous at the amount of pirates who are going in and out of the deck and interior. He realizes that most look funny his way, but feels more perturbed once he recognizes Amber imprinted on their bodies. He gives an inquiring look to the small girl, who only smiles sheepishly at him, understanding his concern.

 _"_ _It's a long story"_ Her frown said.

Not that that eases him in the least.

His attention is turned back to the old man, who is sporting an uncharacteristic solemn mug. Amber also focuses.

"What are you going to do now, little missy?" Jack says with a seriousness that matches his face. "Your Commander is already up, and the ship is ready to roll, just a few trivial things here and there, so it's up to you to decide what happens now to this ship"

Grey notes that the pirates have congregated around Amber, Jack and him. He feels his hand twitch, his brain telling him to reach for the handgun under his shoulder, but he knows that it won't be enough for this number of people, mainly due to low ammunition and lack of Overclock, instead of skill. He would be screwed in confronting the pirates as he was now, so he could only wait… painfully wait.

The air feels heavy, and Grey spends the following seconds looking for any route of escape. He hadn't believed Jack when he told him that Amber was on the docked pirate ship, and even less that she was the new boss of the crew, but that was questioned once he saw both Amber lunching on a packaged energy bar alongside two bulky pirates… who also had her face tattooed on their chests.

He could have sworn the world as he knew it had ended.

Turning his attention back from Jack onto Amber, Grey notices that she's also looking at him expectantly.

…

…

…

…

"W-What?" Grey nervously asks, finding that the pirate crew and Jack's eyes had also turned onto him (With the crew only mimicking their leader more than having actual presence in the conversation).

Jack's lower lip rises and gives a deep breath.

"Little missy, you said that you'd take a decision once the kid awoke, and he's here now, so you must decide now what you want to do"

"Hawawawa, p-please l-let me think for a moment!" Amber cries, noticeably nervous. Her attention goes to the ground for a moment, before she turns back to Grey bashfully (The crew took also a moment to search for something in the ground too).

"W-well… Commander, what… what do you want to do now?" She finally says after a minute of staring uncomfortably at the Vault Hunter.

Grey breaks his gaze and tries to look for a blank spot on the ceiling.

"Well, for starters, I need to get back and repair my stuff" He says.

"Back to Rho, kid?" Jack inquires.

"W-what!? How do you know that!?" Grey shoots a killer glare at the fedora-wearing man.

"Hey, the little missy slipped, but don't take it on her, we were too intrusive as well" Jack says unruffled. "We took advantage of her slip, though"

Grey isn't convinced in the least, but turns to Amber anyways…

 _"_ _Dammit, Amber"_ Grey curses in his mind at seeing her guilty expression.

"Listen up kid, perhaps you've already noted, but I'm gonna state the obvious anyway as to not let any confusions. The little missy here has become the boss of the crew of the _Nutcracker_ -"

Amber's face goes red at the mention of this name.

"Hey! Ta name 's no _Nutcracker_ no more!" One of the pirates interrupts.

"Yah! Tis' da _Flamefucker_!" Other chirps in.

"Da fuck, man!? It's da _Sex Drive_!"

"Fuck no, matey! We'd 'cided 'lready! Ta name's _Penetrator_ , fuckface!"

"Fuck you, Cory! Ta name's _Sex Drive_ n' I 'on't take no bullshit fro' ya!"

Amber's face becomes red, and Grey feels honestly distraught by the sudden turn of events. Jack's eyebrows raise at the pirate's interruption, but his eyes themselves remain half-closed and sleepy.

The exchange between names that range from absurd to sex jokes to completely ridiculous/degrading ones. Grey stops at the mention of _Sexy Pussy_ , but he's surprised when it's not him, but Amber who stops the madness.

"P-please stop speaking like that!" The tiny girl shrieks form the top of her lungs. "O-or I will… I will force myself to s-stop the nanodesu, nanodesu!"

What kind of threat was that, Grey didn't know, but he didn't get much time to think on it, as the pirates suddenly exploded in distressed apologies.

"N-NO MAM! DON' DO TAT! 'NYTHING BU' TAT!"

"SORRY MAM!"

"BOSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! FORGIVE US! FORGIVE US! FORGIVE US!"

"YOU MADE ANGRY THE WINGLESS METAL ANGEL WHO BRINGS RUIN TO HER ENEMIES WITH THE DIVINE LEAD OF **_FUCKING_** JUSTICE! SHAME ON YOU, FOOLS! **SHAME ON YOU!** "

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"ANYTHING BUT THE NANODESU, MISS!"

Grey feels disturbed at the sight of grown men prostrating themselves at a girl who isn't even half their size. What are they, zealots!?

But as unorthodox as her method had been, everyone had indeed shut up once one of the pirates who seemed more brilliant than the others guided them all into silence, claiming that their impertinence would stain Amber's **_fucking_** awesomeness or something along those lines… Grey realized that that last thought could be misinterpreted in many ways, and he was not happy about it.

Soon, the screams died down, and the scene ended with the standing Jack, Amber and Grey among a group of 12 or so kneeling men. The rest was silence.

"Yeah, whatever" Jack dismisses nonchalantly the pirates and continues. "The little missy here has become **_the_** leader of this… lively bunch, so much that they worship her as some kind of goddess. Yeah, I'm not so sure how it ended like this too, but you can rest assured that these guys respond to the little missy's orders, and her only. Both her and I can testify to their allegiance"

Grey turns incredulously to the girl besides him, who gives a tiny, if yet confused nod to him, affirming Jack's words.

"Yeah, that's the reason why you're still around. The little missy ordered everyone that they could **_not_** touch you under any circumstances, with big emphasis in **_not_** " Jack carries on. "On the thirteen days that you've been asleep, she's helped both me and the crew repair the ship, so she's also quite popular. It's also thanks to her that I operated your shitty body back then".

Grey's eyes widen at the revelation. She had saved him? It was due to her that he was still alive?

However, as he repeated the thoughts inside his head, he quickly retrieved a vital piece of information from Jack's words.

"Thirteen days!? Are you shitting me!?" Grey shrieks, causing Amber to jump. He takes her hand and pulls her with him. "Dammit, I was out for too long! Amber! Pack your things, we're going for Rho, now!"

"H-huh!? I mean, yes, nanodesu!" Amber follows Grey's steps as he tries to open his way between the bandits. However, they're stopped by the shirtless men who quickly stand up and surround them, with particular focus Grey.

"Da fuck's 'ith ya, pal!? Ya think ya can take away our wingless metal angel who brings ruin to her enemies with her divine lead of **_fucking_** justice just like dat!?"

"Youuuuuuu caaaaaaaaannn't taaaaaaaaaaaaaake our aaaaaaaaangeeeeeeeeeeeeel"

"Fuckface, hands off our idol!"

Grey feels the superior numbers gang up on him, he quickly reaches for his handgun, but he's unable to take it out, as Amber's voice raises up several decibels.

"Don't touch the commander" Her voice sounds is the same, only a little bit louder, but Grey feels a pressure in his chest when he sees the perfectly neutral face of Amber staring into the nothing.

Every pirate backs off and prostrates back to the metallic flooring.

"OH WINGLESS METAL ANGEL WHO BRINGS RUIN TO HER ENEMIES WITH THE DIVINE LEAD OF **_FUCKING_** JUSTICE, FORGIVE US FOR OUR IMPERTINENCE! FORGIVE US!"

And just like that, any and all pressure disappears from Grey's surroundings, and the pirates move themselves out of the way, giving him a direct exit out of the ship. He takes a step forward, but is stopped by the relaxed voice of Jack.

"Just wait a moment, let me give you a few things before you go" He says, taking a step away from the pair, and moves into the bridge's cabin. Grey gives the older man a distrusting glare, but waits in place as he realizes that Amber's curious. Jack steps out from the cabin a minute later, carrying a series of things on his hands. Jack gives Amber an electronic tablet Grey immediately recognizes as an ECHO, as well as a small blue metallic panel of sorts which is only a bit bigger than the ECHO, he doesn't get to examine closely the metal panel, but he doesn't need to do so as Jack starts speaking.

"An ECHO for you, which you'd better let the kid help you customize. The metal panel here you should be able to attach it to a side of your gearbox, it's a digistructing deck, although it's fairly crappy. You should be able to store personal arms, money and anything compatible, but the space is fairly small, and there's only one slot for a weapon, so you're going to need to upgrade it soon. I recommend that you take it off from the box before you prime it, too" Jack explains, and then also gives Amber another apparatus which Grey identifies as a Shield, but his eyes widen when he looks closely at the shiny, purple accents that adorn the apparatus. "I know you haven't used a Shield yet, and that most likely, you don't even really need it, but take this nonetheless. It will absorb and give you free ammo most of the time when you're shot, but still, be careful when it empties"

Amber curiously examines the device once Jack places the device on her left thigh, which quickly attaches to her clothes and locks in place.

"And for you, kid" Jack turns to Grey.

"W-What?"

"Just take this" Jack gives him a small plastic card and a black pouch, which Grey recognizes as an ammo expansion for his deck and a sack for carrying ammunition in physical form respectively. Grey isn't ungrateful that he's received the items, but he's still somewhat confused.

"My ECHO and deck are busted, so I can't use the upgrade, although the ammo will certainly come in handy until I repair 'em" Grey says. "But why are you giving me this?"

Jack sighs, and then proceeds to unstrap from his back a gun secured to a curious belt, which he hands to Grey. Grey recognizes the thick barrel from the Jakobs shotgun, and eyes curiously at the belt, which is made from a curious material that seems to be some form of plastic, however, what catches Grey's eye is the fact that the gun doesn't separate from the belt even if there are no straps holding it, giving it the illusion that it's floating.

"…A magnetic lock? That's so old fashioned" Grey smirks. Jack finally gives a change in expression, and gives an amused look to the younger man.

"Here I thought you were just another idiotic kid with guns, but you know history" Jack says.

"These were used long before digistructing tech came around. It's easy to strap guns to the electromagnetic locks, provided they're made of metal and it's been worked to withstand the force" Grey cites.

"And the old farts from Jakobs refuse to use anything other than good ol' iron for their guns" Jack complements. "Two pieces of old crap together, makes you go back, eh?"

"Never got to see these in the glory days, I'm not that old. It's been decades ever since we moved from these, but they're still fairly good" Grey retorts. "Old, but gold. This stuff gets the work done with pretty much nothing else"

"What are you then, 15?" Jack bemuses. "But yeah, with these old fellas you have no need for stupid computers and shit, only the willingness to feel the cold surface of the barrel and the smell of gunpowder at all times. A true partner is with you at all times, and not within some magical space shit"

"I'm 21, old fart" The younger man remarks, honestly marveled at the sight of the antique belt, which he finds that's been taken care of thoroughly. "But… can I really have this?"

"Kid, in this day and age, no one goes around carrying a gun under their shoulder. That only leaves me two possibilities: Either you're stupid, or you understand that there's nothing like getting to your gun without the need of silly tech"

Grey gives an amused, yet sarcastic grin at the old man.

"Sorry, old man, while I appreciate the old but functional, there's a lot of things that are just so much easier with digistructing. 10 or so guns with no weight? I'll take that over two guns slowing me down at all time"

"Yeah, there's that too. You can't have everything, that's for sure"

Grey takes a moment to examine the gun itself, separating it from the neon blue orbs which keep the gun in place. The belt doesn't resist, and in the instant Grey's fingers reach for the handle, the belt surrenders the gun to Grey.

He isn't a big fan of Jakobs weaponry. While he had not a real problem with their high firepower, he found them an inconvenience most of the time. All of the guns the company produced were a chore to reload, especially the revolvers, while the assault rifles were prone to jamming if you weren't experienced in handling them, and the shotguns themselves required constant lock and loading. However, he still found respect and great elegance in the decorated barrels of the old-fashioned firearms. This shotgun was beautiful, with a silver barrel adorned with a motif of thorny vines and roses contrasting with the exquisite tailored wood, which also sported the motif of thorns down to the bottom. The gun was heavy, requiring both of Grey's hands to hold it properly. It had no scope or apparent accessories in the frame, leaving this as a pure, unaltered example of Jakobs expertise.

Jack sees with a small smirk on his face.

"It's called the Lunar Strife, and it was designed by none other than Montgomery Jakobs himself as a gift for one of his many concubines many years ago. The lady didn't like that she was gifted a gun, and so, it went around from hand to hand for a long time, until yours truly got ahold of it" Jack explains.

"But why are you giving this to me?" Grey asks. "A gun like this is pretty rare, doesn't it mean a lot to you? I mean, you've taken a lot of care of it, that much is apparent"

"Like the only kind of gift worth giving" Jack responds simply. "Listen kid, I'm giving this to you because you need it more than I do, and I want to make sure that you don't die out there, even more when you've got nothing but that crappy Repeater. I'd feel bad if you died just because you got nothing on you"

Grey examines the weapon more closely before attaching it back to the belt, which quickly clicks and secures it on its top. Amber also takes a step towards the large shotgun, which she examines with curiosity, trying to find what made her Commander so interested in it.

"What's the gist of it?" The young man asks untrustingly.

Jack gives a hearty laugh.

"Ha ha! _Now_ you're showing your brains!?" The old man tips his fedora. "Well, then let's just make a deal"

"…You like making deals a lot, don't you?" Grey asks.

"Hey, deals and words are cheap, but keeping them is the only way to find out who's truly trustworthy among the lunatics of Chariot"

"Big words coming from a forsaken, backstabbing bandit"

"Yeah, yeah. I hereby present you to the new world, kid. The tickets for the next stop are selling out like hot bread, so take one now before you stay in dumbville!"

"I'm not getting into any train you tell me to, creep"

Jack gives another lengthy laugh.

"I knew it, I like you, kid" He says. "I'm glad you didn't die under the shells… or the internal bleeding"

"Yeah, don't want to do that ever again" Grey deadpans. "I'm one tough sonuva bitch, sure, but I'm no Superman"

Amber feels uncomfortable at the mention of her Commander's close call with the reaper.

"Well, I'm glad that's out of the way" Jack says. "So, how about one last deal with me?"

"…Shoot" Grey responds.

"You'll keep that gun with you until we meet again. If you don't have it with you the next time I see you, you will give me all the guns you've gotten at that point, both good and bad, but if you do have it, I'll gift you the Strife and something even better than it"

"…Deal" Grey accepts. He sure as hell won't let a beauty like this go to the hands of some capitalist merchant asshole. Grey takes the belt and pulls it over his shoulder, securing the larger and smaller straps under his shoulder, the newly acquired gun now resting over his right side, its silver barrel shimmering. "You'll give me something even better than this Lunar Strife"

"Only if you still have it by then" Jack quickly says. The older man extends his hand to Grey, who takes it after a second.

Grey turns back to Amber, who's been waiting patiently for him.

"The little missy's stuff is back at the clinic, so go take a shower, you both stink. In the meantime, we'll prepare your Hydro-bike" Jack says. Grey turns back his attention to the old man, who gives him an amused yet sleepy smirk. "Yeah, we also got that, thank the little missy for that, too"

 _"…_ _What **has**_ _been_ _going on all this time I've been asleep?"_ Grey asks for himself. He turns back to Amber, who has a poker face.

"And that's that, but there's till something we haven't discussed yet" Grey is interrupted just as he was about to leave. He turns back the fedora-wearing Jack and gives him an annoyed glare. "Little missy, what is going to happen to this ship?"

Amber becomes apparently distraught by the question. She tries to open her mouth, but nothing comes out. She remains frozen for almost a full minute, with the eyes of all men, including Jack's, Grey's and the pirates, focused on her. She starts breathing heavily, and trembles slightly. Grey quickly catches note of this, and takes her small hand in his.

"Let her think about it" He says. "Gather everyone, and once we come back, you'll hear her answer"

Jack turns his gaze back at the girl, who shrinks beside the taller men.

"Is that okay, little missy?" He asks.

Amber has no response, but is tugged slightly by Grey.

"…Let's go, Amber" Grey calls, to which she responds with a mute nod.

Amber and Grey leave the ship's premises with quick steps.

* * *

 

An awkward silence fills the air.

"S-So… you're… a… er… captain?" Grey tries to make conversation with the girl walking behind him, but finds that finding a topic is hard.

She doesn't respond immediately, Grey scratches his cheek in return, before he calls again.

"…Amber?"

…

…

"C-Commander… Your…"

"Huh?" Grey turns his head back at the girl. "What?"

"Your… your hand, Commander"

Grey focuses his attention back to his limbs, and finds that he hasn't let go of her hand ever since they left the ship. His first response is confusion.

"…Does it bother you?" He asks honestly. He waits a moment for an answer, but there comes none from the girl, who only keeps her head down. Taking that as a yes, Grey releases his grip on the girl's palm.

They continue walking up the small hill where the clinic stands.

Looking up to the sunny sky, Grey quickly searches for anything to say.

"Er… so, how was this place?" He asks.

"Well, it was… strange…" Amber responds slowly. She soon realizes that her answer is bare to the bone for all intents and purposes, panicking a little, she tries to elaborate a little. "I mean-! Well, the place and scenery aren't bad by any means, nanodesu! It's only that… how can I put this…?"

"The people around here are scary?" He says.

"Y-yes! I mean- wait, how did you know?" Amber feels honestly surprised.

"Cannibalism" Grey responds simply. "Cannibalism isn't that uncommon around here. That's nightmare fuel for anyone, isn't it?"

"W-well, I mean the people aren't bad…" Amber sheepishly says.

"Which makes the thought of those nice grannies snacking on you all the more bizarre, right?" Grey completes her thoughts.

"Y-yes!" Amber responds energetically, but then stops before saying anything else, turning her head bashfully away from Grey. "Uhm…"

The silence fills the air, which accompanies them until they reach the clinic. Amber salutes Gyro, and informs him that he should be returning back to the ship, to which he promptly responds with a loud "YES MAM!" before scrambling. Opening the doors, Grey and Amber enter the small clinic.

The air has become heavy. Grey feels uncomfortable, as Amber seems worried for some reason, but doesn't say anything.

"W-well, please go ahead and enter the shower, Commander" Amber says hurriedly. "I-I'll go in after you, so please don't worry!"

Grey doesn't say anything, but does as told. Entering the small shower in the clinic, which was located in the third and final room of the clinic, Grey takes off his clothes one by one, eventually leaving him only in his bandages, which he takes off with some stinging. There are no real wounds, but he still feels pain from the reconstructed bone and muscle fiber of his right shoulder mainly; his legs and left arm are much better and though they hurt, he can easily deal with them, as it's only a matter of getting the muscles and bones accustomed to movement after the 13 days of inactivity. Grey pushes the jeans and white shirt aside and walks into the white marble of the shower. He slowly turns the hot water faucet, but is ungraciously greeted by only an arctic cold. However, he feels himself washed thoroughly. Sure, the sudden shower of cold water made his whole body sting, but he found that he didn't really dislike it. Eventually, the cold water started warming up, until steam was coming out from within the semi-transparent curtains of the small bath. Grey lets his mind drift as he scrubs his body with the clinic soap (which he finds smells weird). He wasn't as filthy as he thought, though he didn't know that it was due to Amber washing his body every day (She did refuse to wash his intimate parts though, which resulted in the only spot that smelled particularly bad).

But then, he hears a knock on the door.

Of course, it can only be one person, and it catches Grey by complete surprise.

"C-Commander, may I come in?" Comes Amber's voice from the other side.

"Wait, WHAT!?" Come's Grey's ungainly responses as he quickly turns his way, only to slip on his feet due to the slippery floor. God, he hated hospitals, and this was one of them. He was unable to stop his fall, and the only thing that was nearby was the curtain. "SON OF A-!"

A crash was heard from the inside, which quickly prompted Amber to knock on the door.

"C-Commander, are you alright!?" She worriedly calls, but there is no response. She calls a few more times, and tries to budge the door, which is locked from the inside. Nervously jumping immediately to the worst conclusion, Amber _kicks_ the door with her full strength, easily breaking it down in the process. Stepping inside without waiting any further, she doesn't register her Commander's scream.

"W-WAIT!"

But it's too late. Grey barely broke his fall by tapping into the curtain at the middle of his fall, allowing him to reduce the speed of his fall if only a little to reduce the force of the impact also with the help of his right hand, but in doing so, he also brought the covering down with him, leaving him exposed to the eyes of Amber.

"W-wait, why in the seven heavens are you _naked_!?" Grey quickly shouts at the sight of Amber wrapped only in a towel in front of him, but she doesn't stop at his words, quickly rushing to his Commander.

"A-are you okay, C-Commander!?" Comes her cry.

"I-I'm f-fine!" Grey answers ungainly from his downed position. "J-Just get out of-!"

He quickly reaches for Amber to try and push her, but he finds that she's already hugging him closely in the shower.

"C-Commander, are you okay!? Are you h-hurt!?" She cries desperately.

"A-Amber…!" He shrieks under his breath, his voice coming out muffled, a lot lower than intended, barely above a whisper. He breathes in, and quickly recovers his guts.

"What are you doing here, Amber!?" He shouts.

"You're not hurt, Commander? Tell me, does it hurt anywhere!?" Comes her hysteric questions of her own.

"I- I'm fine!" Grey responds, matching her level of frenzy. "But why are you here!?"

"Y-you- and I- Didn't respond- Worried-" Amber stammers, her eyes becoming invaded by tears. **"I… I'm so sorry!"**

She begins sobbing and crying her heart out in front of the confused Grey, who has no idea of what to do with the girl in front of him.

"I forgive you, so let me just get out of here-" Grey calls urgently, but is interrupted by the girl's words between hiccups.

"I-it's not that!" Amber yelps. "A-aren't you a… a-angry, C-Commander?"

"Angry? Me? Why should I be angry?" Grey hurriedly stutters.

"B-because…

Because…

**_Because you almost died because of me!"_ **

Grey stares with incredulity adorning all of his expression. The girl's sobs surge and riot in the small bathroom where the two of them lie.

"Calm down, Amber" Grey says, but his tone isn't as serene as he thinks it is. The girl continues her wails and whimpers for a few more minutes, in which Grey remains motionless, unsure of what to do. Once Amber's sobs die down enough, Grey tries to comfort the girl.

"I'm not angry, in the least" He says clearly. "I'm not angry about anything at all"

Amber hides her face under her hands, incapable of facing her Commander. Grey waits some more before saying anything again.

"I'm not angry" He repeats. "Honest"

It doesn't seem like she feels any better, so Grey decides to do the only thing he knew to calm a girl down. He places his palm on the girl's head, and silently begins rubbing her, gently.

" _W-w-wa' ae you doen', Commandah?"_ Amber articulates between sobs.

"Sh-shut up, I'm trying to be nice here" Grey bolts reflexively.

 _"_ _Hawaaaaaa"_ Amber cries, losing whatever little progress he had managed.

 _"_ _Nice job ruining it, Arkham"_ Grey curses mentally. _"Now she hates you"_

"I'm sorry" Grey tries to mend his mistake. "I didn't mean to be a jackass there…"

Amber turns to her commander with swirling eyes.

"I'm an idiot when it comes to girls, you know? I make them cry and hate my guts because I'm always on the defensive, but I'm genuinely sorry. I didn't mean that" He says.

 _"_ _W-wai ae you apologishing?"_ Amber babbles, incapable of speaking correctly. _"I-I shud be ap-apologishin, not you, Commandah"_

"Why are you apologizing? Because of what happened 13 days ago?" Grey asks.

Amber nods and sniffs loudly, pulling the mucus back in her nose.

Grey sighs and calms down, before giving a small laugh.

 _"_ _W-wai ae you laffin, Commandah?"_ Amber bawls. _"I-I'm sherioush here!"_

"I can't take you seriously when you're crying like a baby and can't even talk properly" Grey laughs.

 _"_ _I-I'm shorry, Commandah…"_

"Don't be" Grey responds. "Why don't we just forget about it and start over again?"

 _"_ _B-Buh I canh't do 'at! Y-you almost d-died becaushe of m-me!"_

"And you almost drowned because I gave you an unreasobale order back then, so let's call it even" Grey finalizes. "You followed my order in the very end and I almost lost you. I mean, you crashed pretty hard against the water! It's a miracle _you_ are alive!"

 _"_ _B-But… but…"_ Amber tries to say something, but she's unable to say anything. _"BWAAAAAAAA!"_

Grey gives a hearty laugh, and continues patting the small girl in front of him, who suddenly jumps at him, hugging him tightly.

His surprise is evident with the loud "EEP!" He unmanly produces. He feels two pointy spots in his chest, however, he soon finds his vision failing as the by now familiar sensation of suffocation was washing over him again.

"A-Amber, I c-can't b-b-"

He finds that her skin, though greasy and somewhat dirty, feels nice.

 _"_ _Ah… so this is a girl's…"_ His mind is unable to finish the thought, as darkness covers his vision. His lights go out, but not before engraving a new idea inside the core of his very existence.

That day, Grey Arkham reached an existence few have come to know.

And Amber almost committed seppuku after being the cause of her Commander's brushes with death twice in two weeks.


	6. Pitch Black Intrusion

"C-Commander, would this be fine?" Amber's tiny voice rings Grey's ears as he browses through the holographic menu of the vending machine. Closing the list and turning his head back to the shorter girl, he intently observes the various magazines and single boxes containing ammunition.

"How much do you have left?" He asks while helping the girl.

"54 dollars, I think? That's what the machine said so, anyways" She responds sheepishly.

"Damn, that asshole really took a number on us. 'Yah, here's sum guns fer ya, buh dun' ask fer ammo, food or shit hurrhurr'" Grey grumbles, mimicking a certain bandit in an exaggerated and inaccurate manner. Amber nervously waits for her Commander to end his tantrum.

Thirteen hours by train away from their destination, Grey and Amber are now in Capricho, a small city to the south of the Rho District. The urban streets of this city are filled to the brim with people of dubious occupations, ranging from slag dealers, to full-fledged gangs. Grey didn't like the place in the least, but he had needed to make the stop here… due to low fuel.

"Give me a break, that asshole goes on and repair the bike, but he sure as hell can't spare the fuel…" He rambles.

"B-But Jack-sensei _did_ fix your vehicle, Commander" Amber shyly points out. "W-we should work with what we have…"

"At this point, there's nothing else we can do" Grey sighs in defeat.

"Well, at least we still have some money…" Amber says. "But if I may ask, why did we spend such a strong sum in… ammunition?"

Grey stares with a vacant expression at the plastic box containing handgun bullets, and giving a sigh, he picks three pre-prepared standard Dahl magazines from the box and places them in the pouch at his waist.

Amber panics and starts flailing her arms "I-I-I mean-! I know it's not my place to question your decisions! I mean-! I don't intend to stop you, Commander! It's just that I am curious…"

Grey turns to the girl with a face that is between sleepy and uncaring. He remains silent, and doesn't budge for a good five seconds, then crosses his arms and closes his eyes, his brow furrowing into deep thought. Amber stands still tensely all the while.

"…no…too expensive…mm….ngh…maybe…" Grey mumbles under his breath.

Amber's eyebrows raise a little bit. "Commander?"

"Yeah… there's only the arena… Shit…" Grey suddenly whimpers.

"…Eh?"

The small city of Capricho runs on its own small mafia, Grey knows, as it isn't the first time he's been here; and while most of the people of the city have no qualms about who enters and goes, they do care about _what_ enters the economy of the place. Clandestine casinos, drug dealing, blood sports and the like are common around here. To be honest, Grey's _acquainted_ with a few of the names of the place, although that's more due to unfortunate coincidences and events that aren't precisely of cheerful tone… or include sanity in them.

The air of the city is much more different than Granberia, although it's a nice change of pace after almost four hours of traveling in the Hydro-bike, so on that aspect, Amber's not too concerned. Sure, she would have liked to sail on her own using her gear, but she had learned back when Grey was still unconscious that she couldn't really do it for long sittings. It was exhausting, both mentally and physically, and while she had been improving her stamina and abilities maneuvering both on the sea and aiming her cannon, Grey had decided against the idea of her going on about on her own. The Vault Hunter had insisted that she didn't show her capabilities or prime her equipment unless it was strictly necessary. She had been a bit bummed when he refused to let her move on her own, but Grey had also reasoned with her that the Hydro-bike was just a lot faster than she was, and since he wanted to get back to Rho as soon as possible, it was just much more efficient to have the two of them ride together on the amphibious vehicle.

The parting with the pirates had been… strange. All of them (minus Jack) were bawling their eyes out when Amber announced that she was leaving with her Commander, and it almost ended with them committing suicide on the spot. Grey had been too stubborn and said that he didn't want pirates following him around, and adamantly refused to stay with them any more than needed. Jack for his part also wasn't too keen on being bossed around by the younger man, and also, the not-doctor stated that the crew still had matters to take care of. Which matters, Grey didn't ask nor care about, but apparently, the pirates needed to turn tail back to their base somewhere around the north-eastern seas. The pirates eagerly gave their base's coordinates to Amber, who sheepishly accepted them without any real means to refuse them, and as so, they parted ways. Amber would maintain contact with the pirates through Jack, who she added to her ECHO with Grey's help, who also helped her to configure the rest of the functions. Her ECHO had been put online and adjusted to make use of its basic functions, which included storage, communication and mapping under Grey's tutoring, having linked it to the weird digistructing metal-box Jack had given her while also downloading the map for the Eastern section of Chariot once they reached Capricho, and connected to one of the many terminals around the city. There, Amber was officially registered into the ECHOnet, and could now contact Jack at any time.

Connecting Amber to the ECHOnet had also been high on Grey's priorities, since access to maps could give them a better idea of where they were and how to proceed back to Rho, since they were low on resources. His own ECHO was busted, and he couldn't really get it repaired around here due to the fact that his was modified beyond recognition, as it was adjusted for him to use his personal comm lines while also providing support for the Overclock system… and there was also the worrying fact that back when he had found Amber, his ECHO was hacked and modified even further, and he couldn't really fathom to have it checked by just anyone. Grey's "tech support", a certain girl named Danny from Rho had also told him that the modifications to his interface meant that most likely, he wouldn't even be able to access his belongings even if he tried to use a stolen/guest ECHO, which was proven true when he tried to connect Amber to his fanny just a few minutes ago.

If anyone got their hands on your ECHO, you were basically giving out your whole identity to them. Most people got their ECHOs by scavenging them from corpses nowadays, as dead were in no way scarce around Chariot. While most bandits didn't even bat an eye at the prospect of getting personal information out of someone else's ECHO, preferring to just formatting and starting from scratch, the same couldn't be said about the organized crime of the landside. Blackmailing and kidnappings were a lot more common the further you went away from the sea, and Capricho was no exception. Grey would never trust anyone with his information to any of the people of the shady town.

Then there was also the fact that with his busted ECHO, Grey couldn't access his savings, which was one of the main reasons why they were in a tight spot. Amber had received (or more like she was forced) some money from the pirates, but it had barely been a hundred bucks, and that wouldn't have cut it for fuel to the bike.

Grey hated that mechanics and the managers of the fuel dealers were such a bunch of scammers. He _could_ gun and run for it, but then he'd have half of Capricho going after his head, and he'd prefer to avoid that. He had to give it to the people of Capricho: As much of a bunch of assholes they were, the criminals of the city were quite a family, one that wouldn't mind pulling a bullet in anyone's face should they be messed with, which was in part one of the reasons why Capricho managed to stay afloat: the citizens were colluded to at least a small degree one with each other, meaning that strangers had a hard time when trying to do business in Capricho. Good business for the locals, bad for the foreigners, that was how they rolled.

Economy aside, Grey also had almost no ammunition, having lost it at the sea two weeks ago, and that didn't help his situation either. With that said, he still preferred far more to have bullets to his gun than fuel to his arms. Fuel would only carry him so far, and he'd prefer having to shoot a crazy instead of running away from his whole gang.

And there was this thing with Amber. The girl wasn't too keen on the idea of stealing a vehicle… or doing anything that a person with morals would consider a crime. Grey had decided once they stepped into Capricho that they'd ride the train back to Rho. Well, not exactly to Rho, as the train could leave them just an hour away from their destination. A better prospect, which included the fact that they could get some sleep on the train. But there was a slight problem.

The tickets cost a fortune, fortune which they lacked, leaving them in dire need of money.

In short, money problems. Money problems _everywhere_.

With just a hundred bucks, they wouldn't get anywhere to sleep, even less eat, they can't even refuel the bike, and they sure as hell can't afford the train, so under Grey's instructions, Amber spent half of her money in ammo.

Not that she could afford much with it, still.

So, taking the most "reasonable" course of action, Grey had decided to multiply their current savings in the fastest way possible.

Reasonable was quoted because the criteria of it can only be met if shooting bandits up is just a thing of every Tuesday to you.

"I'm going for the arena" Grey declares in frustration. Confused, Amber follows her Commander's pace into the busy streets of Capricho.

"C-Commander?" Amber hurriedly calls, catching Grey's stride. "If I may ask, what did you mean by that, nanodesu?"

"The arena?" Grey asks, turning his head slightly at Amber, who nods slowly. "Basically, you bet your money and you're thrown into a caged stadium where you must either survive for a set amount of time according to how much you want to win, or simply kill everyone who gets in your way"

Amber shrieks at this. "K-Kill everyone!? W-why!?"

"…It's another of the many insane sports you can find in Chariot. Well, they're also known as slaughter-domes, which is clinically speaking the correct term. Basically, a lot of people like to see other people kill each other out, and these arenas satisfy that while making a good money out of it"

"B-But that's just wrong, nanodesu!" Amber immediately retorts. "J-Just kill each other like that, like it's for fun!? T-that's… that's…"

"Insane?" Grey coolly finishes Amber's sentence. "Yeah, it is, but that's the only way to roll in Chariot"

"C-Commander! H-How can you speak like that, nanodesu!?" Amber cries bewildered. "H-How… Why is it that you can speak so casually about just walking into some _c-cage_ and going into a murderous spree like it's not a big concern!?"

Grey gives a deep breath "Because it isn't. Killing and dying in Chariot is like any other forsaken planet: meaningless.

We need the money, or else we're going to have to spend the night out in the streets, we got no food, we got nothing but ourselves, and with no money we're not getting to Rho. We're stranded here, Amber, and unless we do something, we're not going anywhere. If you don't want to participate, I won't force you, but we _need_ the money"

Amber quickly retorts "B-but surely, there must be better ways to make money, nanodesu! Why must the first option be to start a massacre!?"

"Look around you" Grey says, and Amber does as instructed. "What do you see? Lunatics waiting for an opportunity to jump at us, slag addicts who can't even stand up due to the poisoning, bandits _far_ worse than those idiots who became your followers or whatever, nasty cannibals who want to snack on us, and you're telling _me_ to pull a face-turn and look for an honorable job in this hellhole? I'd be dead before I achieved anything like that, and I don't even want to let them touch _you_ "

Amber is bewildered at the declaration "W-What are you saying!?"

"That you're not cut to survive on your own" Grey states matter-of-factly.

Amber's face goes red in frustration "Why do you s-say something like that!?"

"You know nothing about this place, yet? I thought that Granberia was enough of a wakeup call. This isn't a nice place, Amber, and nothing will come out of your good intentions, even less in a place like this"

"C-Commander! I find it hard to believe that there is _nothing_ we can do that doesn't involve m-murdering!"

"Nothing that pays quick and good at least" Grey says finitely.

"P-please! There must be other way!" The girl pleads.

"Like what?" The Vault Hunter sighs, asking to the air.

"I-I don't know! But I'm sure we can find something!"

"You wanna bet here?" Grey asks amused. "You won't find anything, _anything_ that meets our current needs. At least, nothing that doesn't require anything worse. I don't wanna deal with potheads, to be honest… or any of that junk"

"J-junk? I… I don't even want to know, nanodesu" Amber shrieks. "But there'll be nothing good from getting into such a… a ridiculous thing, nanodesu!"

"We need the money, dammit! And I want to get out of here as soon as possible! What's so hard to get about that!?"

"But we have no need for bloody money! Nothing good will come from getting money from corpses!"

"Hey, this isn't the first time I've done something like this. Trust me, it'll-"

Amber interrupts Grey "It isn't the _first_ time!? Commander!" She reprimands.

"Dammit, Amber!"

"L-let's search! I'm sure we can find something!"

"And I'm telling you, we _won't_ "

"P-please! We won't know until we try!"

"We'll only lose our time. It'll be faster if you just let me do it! I don't want to be that guy who'll say 'I told you so' after spending days of hunger in this forsaken place. We won't survive a night here!"

"B-but-! A-ah!" Amber tries to retort, but she soon finds herself pulled from the ground. "C-Commander!"

"Shit!" Grey curses, quickly realizing that the girl behind him has been separated from him. He turns his whole body 180 degrees, to see that Amber has been picked up by the towering man that had been just passing by them. The man is bulky, with big muscles and a small head, able to pick Amber's tiny frame with just one hand and spring furiously into a run. His hulking body carries Amber with ease, and is surprisingly fast despite his size. Grey finds himself running after the man, who is able to keep the lead, but not escape from the Vault Hunter's sight.

The instant Grey takes the first step he also hears a sharp buzz in his ears as a soft white light flashes briefly around his body, indicating that his shield has been broken, Grey tumbles a bit forward, but plants his right feet firmly into the ground, and focusing his attention, he turns his gaze to his left, to find a bandit with a mask that covered the top half of his head opening his mouth in disbelief, the bandit is holding a copper red Bandit shotgun, and is in firing position, but is unable to take another shot as Grey quickly rushes into him and buries his fist into the bandit's head. The bandit is knocked backwards into the side of the street. After the hit, Grey stumbles forward a bit, somewhat disoriented by the sudden movement, but steadies himself and then sprints into the direction Amber's captor had ran off to.

_"_ _Shit shit shit! He's fast!"_ Grey's thoughts race as he turns the corner and increases his speed. In other circumstances he could have easily handled this situation, but right now… _"Damn! Just when I need Overclock…!"_

The streets and people pass like a blur in Grey's vision, who's solely focused on the struggling girl and the massive bulk carrying her over his right shoulder. His quality Tediore Instant Shield needed less than a full second to repair itself completely, and thanks to it, Grey was able to shrug off any damage and continue onwards. Clearly, whoever had attacked him hadn't expected his shield to be so efficient, since he was able to knock the bandit out cold before they even managed to react. Grey's ears then were filled with the wheezing of bullets flying around him. Without warning, the streets had become a warzone.

Doubling his efforts, Grey continued running. More than once his shield was hit and broken, but the absurd recovery speed of it allowed him to avoid any and all injuries from the frantic crossfire thanks to instinctive dodges and rolls which he used to get into cover before resuming his run. He didn't have his visor to display the origin point of the bullets, but he didn't need confirmation, as he could perfectly make out that the bullets were hitting his backside mostly. He wouldn't be able to identify the number of assailants, but he didn't have time to think about any of that, as his attention was focused solely on catching up.

He soon reached an alley, and was nastily surprised to see the towering man enter the building at the end. There were two guards at the front doors, each outfitted with what seemed to be matching uniforms and Vladof assault rifles. The guards quickly made their way out to let the abductor through who shouted something Grey didn't catch on, but supposed was a warning for the guards, who quickly took aim at him at the bigger man's call.

Reaching for the Repeater under his left shoulder, Grey quickly stopped and discharged the gun into the first guard's torso and head, who had been slower than his comrade to take aim, his shield immediately gave out once the first bullet reached his head. The second guard managed to land a few shots on Grey, but the awful accuracy of his rifle coupled with the distance between them and Grey's good shield, allowed the Vault Hunter to disregard the first shots. However, Grey knew that he'd be an easy target if he just kept going into the guard straight, so he desperately jumped into one of the crevices on the building's entrances on the right side of the alley. The bullets flew by, but Grey had managed to shield himself with the wall.

Grey maneuvers for his belt and quickly loads a new magazine into his handgun, then waits for the guard to stop shooting, which happens after almost 3 seconds of sustained fire, and once the shooting stops, Grey expects the click of a new magazine being loaded into the guard's gun, and using it as his cue to rush back into action, Grey flings himself into a sprint. This time without stopping, Grey runs into the guard and shoots him until he falls dead, spending yet another magazine of handgun ammunition. Grey curses that he doesn't have a better weapon on him, and so, he quickly took the triple-barreled and yet un-loaded Vladof Rabid Spinigun from the dead guard and finishes loading the new cartridge. Grey then puts away his pistol back into its holster and rushes into the building.

Once Grey is near the entrance, he looks back to the alley to see that his previous pursuers are getting close. Cursing under his breath, the Vault Hunter steps into the porch of the building, and spots a heavy metallic chain rolled in a cylinder. The chain is holding up a thick metallic sheet suspended over the entrance, Grey observes. Without sparing a second, Grey shoots the tightened chain that connects the cylinder and door, which causes the chain to snap and strenuously drop the metallic door over the gate, effectively leaving the assailants outside. Grey doesn't know if there are other entrances, but he doesn't care, rushing into the building without waiting any longer than is needed.

Grey is greeted by a rundown room partially lit by candles and failing plasma bulbs on the ceiling. There are newspapers and various pieces of junk and other menial trash laying all around the floor. Once Grey kicks the doors inside open, he doesn't hesitate to shoot anything and everything who isn't remotely familiar in sight. More people garbed in similar attires to the guards he had shot in the entrance greet Grey by shooting back and also taking cover. Grey also crouches behind a small, short wall near the entrance which seems to double as a reception and a podium, where he takes refuge and uses as cover, every once in a while showing himself up to retaliate back at the group of 5 or so guards who are also taking cover behind what seem to be tumbled tables and a bar in the left side of the room.

Grey growls as he shoots again the Vladof gun. He hates how the gun is so hard to control, as it produces horrible recoil and has even worse accuracy, but decides to deal with the inconvenience and keep using it. He manages to hit one of the guards who shows his head, making him stumble to the ground while cursing, having hit him in the shoulder. However, his grunts are drowned under the continuous gunshots that riot in the small anteroom.

Grey peeks from the right side of his cover, but has to cover himself again as bullets rush right over his face. He jumps when he feels the left side of his hip bump with something. He takes a moment to observe, and sees that the wall he's using as cover is giving out to the gunfire as bullets are beginning to pierce through the surface.

"Oh come on!" Grey sneers. "Are these made of paper!?"

Grey holds the rifle sideways and slightly sticks it out, allowing him to fire it, although he can't see where he's firing in the least. He makes this only to have the enemies take cover again for a bit. Taking the small window created by this, Grey steps out from his hiding position and fires the rest of the magazine, hitting 2 more guards and knocking them down to the ground. He doesn't miss a beat when a third one stands up behind the bar, but before the third guard can shoot, Grey deliberately throws the now empty Vladof rifle at the guard, who barely dodges the metallic case, but is unable to avoid Grey who wildly tackles him with a jump, knocking both of them down to the ground behind the bar. Grey then proceeds to grab the guard's face with both hands and smash it thrice against the ground, which dizzies him, only to be finished a point-blank round to the face by his handgun. Grey then takes this guard's gun, which also happens to be a Vladof assault rifle, only that the Dahl barrel immediately screams good things to the Vault Hunter. Picking up the poor quality Severe Renegade from the ground, Grey finds that this gun is much easier to handle compared to the previous one. Taking advantage of the increased stability and accuracy of the gun, Grey stands up from his cover behind the bar full of knocked and broken glass and shoots the remaining two guards until they drop dead with short bursts.

Grey takes a moment to ventilate, and falls down to the ground again, the adrenaline's effect beginning to wear off. However, he doesn't take more than the pause he needs and quickly runs to the opposite side of the entrance towards a set of upwards stairs, the only place the captor could have gone to.

"Aw crap" Grey curses aloud once he reaches the last step.

Several dozens of guards are aiming their weapons at him, and there is no cover or anything. Grey walked straight into a much larger room which seems to be a hall, but also sports the same sight of the previous room, with messy and torn trash and papers scattered on the ground, although its main difference apart from its size lies in the various doors that outfit the ends of the room, two which are actually high archways that lead into another room on the opposite side of the stairs he had come from. Grey turns his head back to see that the way back has been blocked by three guards. There are at least 10 armed men surrounding him, and there are no doors or exits he can reach without first breaking through them. His mind races for options, and refuses to believe that he's royally screwed.

Except, that he's royally screwed.

Grey stands still with his new gun ready, ready to start shooting the instant the first bullet leaves the casket. The seconds seem to become hours, with the Vault Hunter trying to keep in mind every single gun pointed at him, but with 10 pointing in his direction at the same time, there's nothing he can do, both virtually and really. He knows that his shield won't stand up against this quantity of enemies, and that if he does anything conspicuous, his body will get a nice treatment of metal (and electricity, fire, acid, slag, ice… damn, these guys are prepared for everything!).

"Lookie who's 'ere!" A voice with a heavy accent springs too cheerfully for Grey's comfort. "When I heard 'ere's a creepy guy with a perpetual angry scowl in Capricho, I n't thought it could be him! But it _is_ you, _cabrón_!"

Grey turns his attention to the man who has walked into the scene. The guards pull themselves to the sides to let the unannounced person meet the intruder face to face. The man in question is a tad bit shorter than Grey, with an obese figure and bearded, chubby face. He wears a set of baggy cargo pants and a sleeveless black t-shirt over his torso, revealing hairy and tattooed dark arms. He sports a black bandana over his eyebrows, and is smoking one of the un-godliest cigarettes Grey's ever had the displeasure to smell.

"You still smoke that shit… Polo" Grey icily says, lowering a bit his robbed Renegade, but not enough to look disengaged. "Thought it'd have killed you long ago"

"Aw, come on, _amigo_ " The man, now identified as Polo, laughs dryly. "You know that 'is the best thing _ever_! No way I let this up, Johnson"

"Don't you-" Grey begins, but the guards immediately take a step forward.

" _Ah, vamos,_ Johnson!" Polo says dismissively. "For the good times! That name made you!"

"And am I ever so grateful for it" Grey says with heavy sarcasm and venom in his voice. "Cut the shit, Polo, where's she?"

The bulbous man raises an eyebrow in mock surprise "Oh? Whatever do you mean, Johnson?"

Grey is irked deeply by the name, but he decides to remain calm "Short, brown hair, weird clothes and industrial boots. Was carried inside by a big dude, probably some loser you know"

The man frowns. "Can't stop saying 'Commander'?"

Grey frowns. "Very likely"

Polo gives an empty, fake smile. "Nope, can't say I've ever heard about any _puta_ like that recently. How about you, Fer?" He says while directing his attention to one of the armed guards, who responds negatively with a silly smile.

"Or you, Tommy?" Polo asks another of the guards.

"No, _jefe_!" The other guard responds, clearly lying through his teeth. "But I'd give _anything_ to have _fun_ with her"

Grey's face is full of disgust and hatred "I should have killed you long ago… All of you fuckers…"

"Aw, love you too, _amigo_ " Polo says affectionately. "But never mind that. Johnson, you need to explain yourself. Now, dear _amigo_ , why, oh, why did you kill my _guarros_?"

Grey laughs dryly "You know, the usual, they were in the way. Like any of your potheads, if you think about it"

Polo gives an amused look at the taller man and gives a muffled laugh. The bandana-man then gives a step towards Grey, putting himself just a nose away from him, and then he stares directly Into Grey's eyes, who doesn't even flinch at the show of bravado. Polo remains still for a few seconds, then puffs the smoke straight into Grey's face, who contains the urge to vomit and rip the smoker's brain out of his skull.

"Let's try this again. Why are you here, _pendejo_?" Polo drops the courteous act.

"Why are **_you_** here?" Grey mirrors. "I thought Héctor had taken out the trash of Capricho already, or did you lick his ass again and begged like a little bitch until he spared you?"

Polo answers by punching Grey in the gut. The taller man contains the urge to throw up, and loses his breath, tumbling forward in the process. Polo then proceeds to hit Grey on the chin with his knee, almost knocking Grey into the floor, but he pulls his left leg back and steadies himself, refusing to be knocked over. Grey has to admit that the fat man has quite a heavy punch. His shield protected him from receiving any real damage, but the blows themselves managed to take the air out of his lungs.

"Don't speak to me like that, _hijo de perra_ " Polo says venomously.

"Why the long face, _amigo_?" Grey mocks, his mouth aching profusely. "Thought you liked being Hector's favorite bit- GHHGH!"

Grey then receives a blow to his right cheek from Polo's fist. Grey smiles, satisfied yet hateful at the sight of Polo's angered face.

"Are we having fun yet?" Grey snarls venomously.

" _¡Cierra la boca, hijo de puta!"_ Polo growls.

"Or else what?" Grey laughs. "We shoot this whole shithole up 'til we drop dead?"

Grey isn't scared in the least by Polo. He is worried about the guns, but the fat man himself? He could deal with this guy even if his mouth was sealed.

"That sounds good, only that it's you who dies in my version" Polo growls.

"Well, with your little bitches behind you, that seems likely" Grey admits. "But I can assure you that I can very much bust your ugly face in the process, maybe take your favorite fuckboys in the process as well"

Grey then snarls audibly with a guttural sound, turning to one of the guards he still remembers. "Like you little fuck, Pedro"

"My name is Omar, _hijo de puta_ " The guard growls in response.

"I know" Grey smirks, only to receive a direct hit to the left side of his forehead, this time with the butt of the guard's rifle. Grey feels his brain ring inside his skull, but notes that it hadn't been enough to crack his head open, still, a small stream of blood begins pouring into his left eye, which he quickly beats off with his hand.

" _Jefe_ , can I kill him?" The guard Pedro- I mean, Omar, asks.

Polo smiles sadistically "Well, I'd very much like to, but of course-"

" _Qué chingados ocurre aquí!?_ " A new voice interrupts Polo mid-sentence. Polo immediately freezes up when he registers a new figure coming up from behind the bandana-wearing man. The short fat man pulls back from Grey and jerks his body back to the new person.

Grey spots another man, this one, much, _much_ taller than himself, who surely is above the 2 meter mark. This man has a closed beard and dark hair tied into a large ponytail that reaches under his neck. This man has a very muscular build, which is accentuated by a similar sleeveless t-shirt to the one Polo wears. Tattoos depicting the sun and various snakes and animals fill his right arm, while his left arm only has the distinctive symbol of the Vault embedded into the back of his palm. Wearing military boots and pants, this man towers above Grey, Polo and every single guard in the room. With a mechanical patch covering his right eye, the man stares disapprovingly at every single person in the room, including Grey, who has a challenging smirk on his own face.

"God-freaking-damn" Grey laughs. "The one and only, Hector's best, the _Gigante_ , the goddamned Sergio Caballero has shown himself! What do we rats owe your presence to?"

The incredibly muscular man focuses his attention on the Vault Hunter, sporting an indiscernible frown all the time. The towering hulk walks slowly and deliberately, observing closely each and every single person in the room. He had begun with Grey, but quickly moved to the guards… and then, to Polo.

"W-what!?" Polo blurts out nervously once he finds himself under the monstrous man's gaze.

The titan known as Sergio Caballero only tilted himself a little bit towards the tiny chubby man, who cowered immediately "I asked: What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?"

Polo gulps down, but then blurts out "W-well, what do you fucking care!?"

**"** **What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?"** Sergio repeats, this time a lot more forcefully.

Polo is unable to answer.

"Hey, Sergio, I'm here, you know?" Grey calls out nonplussed. "Or am I not worthy of your time?"

Sergio stares for a few more instants at Polo, who has no movement. Drilling his eyes into the shorter man's skull, Sergio proceeds to give a gratuitous back-hand slap that sends Polo flying across the room like a ragdoll. Polo lands sprayed on the floor on the left side of the room _after_ hitting the wall, which causes the room to crumble a bit, and the guards to immediately drop their weapons.

"What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?" Sergio repeats, now directing his attention to Grey.

"One of your guys took a girl from me, followed suit. Polo and his shit" Grey responds coolly.

"And what the fuck are you doing in Capricho, Johnson?" Sergio asks with a booming voice.

"Hey, I was just going to make some cash to get on the train, but you _had_ to go for the girl with me" Grey elaborates, beating down the urge of blowing up on being called by that name. "Just give me the girl and I'll be on my way"

"Get the fuck out of here, Johnson" Sergio orders.

"Give me the girl first" Grey doesn't comply.

"You little fuck…" Sergio raises his arm, and Grey immediately prepares to receive a mighty slap from the _Gigante_ of Capricho, but just as he's about to duck the hit and shoot Sergio in the face, yet another person joins the conversation.

"Well! The prodigal son returns!" A much softer and raspier voice says.

" _J-Jefe!_ " Sergio acknowledges and turns back to the new man. Grey feels his stomach turn out inside him once he identifies the man.

The new person is a man much older than Sergio and Grey, who is truly an old man who must be well over his sixties, but his wrinkles and creases come not from age, but due to the abuse of various drugs and substances (mainly slag) and years and years of spending his life making others miserable. His decaying teeth and blind left eye convey cruelty and sadism like few could match. This old man was Samuel Jáquez, older brother of Héctor Jáquez, and second in command of the mafia of Capricho. Only surpassing his brother in age and abuse of drugs, many still wondered who the bigger sadist of the two was.

Capricho's mafia was currently led by Héctor, the younger brother, as the elder brother (son of another woman, making them half-brothers with more than 20 years of difference in age) had long since become unable to effectively lead the business due to his failing health, result of the life of a criminal, which had rotted his organs and life force until leaving him crippled. The only difference between him and his brother was that he was satisfied to all that he had done in his life, going as far as willingly surrendering the mantle. Héctor was ambitious, and didn't have the addiction to slag of his older brother, and was also much more methodical and cold, while Samuel was completely fine in leading a retired life until he waited for his day. Grey disliked Samuel, and disliked even more his crueler brother Héctor, who he had the displeasure of meeting years ago when the younger brother was still working his way up to the top.

Nowadays, Samuel spent his days managing the lesser important business, which included… the slaughter-domes. Grey realized at this moment that indeed, he surely was in one of Samuel's arenas.

"Little Johnson! How have you been?" Samuel calls from his hovering chair, the man had been offered a bone reconstruction and even mechanization of his body, but he had refused, saying that he wanted to face death like a whole, _true_ man, whatever that meant.

"Hey, Mr. J" Grey calls with a mixture of venom and feigned amiability. "You're looking like shit as always, not sure if you look better than before"

Sergio turns immediately to Grey, but before he can give a piece of his mind to the Vault Hunter, he's stopped by Samuel's hand.

"Oh you little fuckface" Samuel's voice doesn't convey any form of hostility, but Grey can see through the façade. "It's been a while! Never thought I'd see you again"

"Neither did I, or more like I didn't _want_ to ever see you again" The Vault Hunter responds sincerely. "And to be perfectly honest, I'd rather leave now"

"But why?" Samuel inquires "Please, stay just a little longer! It's been what, 4 years ever since I last saw you?"

"Don't know, don't care. However, I can't just leave, as much as I'd like to… but you already know that, don't you?"

Samuel's dark eyes glimmer a bit under his baggy eyebrows "Ho ho ho… why is that, Little Johnson?"

"Eh, I dunno. Maybe it has to do with the girl you took from me?" Grey responds spitefully.

Both crippled old man and standing young man stare at each other, tension rising into the air.

"Always to the point" Samuel smiles. "But that's what I like about you"

Grey is surprised at what happens next. Amber walks into the room, with her hands tied behind her back, pushed by another girl who Grey has never seen before, neither in any of the places of Capricho, nor on the ranks of any of the leaders.

The girl pushing Amber sports a very similar attire, which consists of a dark blue blouse similar to Amber's, only that it has black neck and wrists, with an equally black skirt. Her socks match the color of her blouse, only with two thick white lines near the knee, and she's wearing sporty gray and red shoes. What catches Grey's attention the most, however, is her hair, which has a soft lilac color that seems almost unnatural adorned with a golden crescent moon pin on the left side of her forehead. Her haircut is curious, as it doesn't really reach below her neck, but there are two long strands of hair dropping on the sides of her head. Her complexion all around is the same as that of Amber's, in that she's young and tiny, with a petite build and modest breasts that don't really stick out, indicating a young age. Her face is like that of a doll, and Grey feels depressed on seeing her emotionless expression. Her eyes seem a piercing aqua-green under the strobes and failing lights of the room.

"C-Commander!" Amber cries once she sees the Vault Hunter. Grey notes that Amber doesn't have her gearbox with her, and instead, it is on the other girl's left hand, who carries it with no problem. The unknown girl also has straps on her torso, and although Grey cannot see what lies behind the girl's back, he has a sinking feeling that he already knows what it is.

Amber struggles, but it's unfruitful, unable to break free from the other girl's grip. Amber wails and cries, but the other girl remains still, unfazed.

"Commander, this is-" Amber tries to say between whimpers.

"Oh, happy days!" Samuel interrupts gleefully. "This is quite the scene!"

"You…!" Grey's blood starts boiling. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Commander, this girl…" Amber articulates. "This girl is just like me!"

Grey doesn't respond with words, instead turning his gaze back to the crying Amber. He doesn't say a thing, instead just taking any and all information from Amber's state. Her clothes are messy and disarrayed, and she has a bruise on her right cheek, either from a slap or a punch. Her hair has become undone, swaying freely over her frame. Her eyes are red from crying and she's trembling, most noticeably her legs. For the most part, only her cheek shows harm, as there are no other apparent injuries. However, having that single injury is enough to infuriate the Vault Hunter.

"What the fuck is this, Samuel!?" Grey growls. "Did you do all this!?"

"Now now, let's calm ourselves down, shall we?" The old crook shrugs nonchalantly. "Or else your girl's arms may accidentally break"

"Son of a bitch…" Grey mutters, holding himself in place. The curse doesn't pass unnoticed by Sergio, who gives a hateful look to the Vault Hunter, but otherwise remains motionless as well.

Motioning towards the guards with a skeletal hand, Samuel dismisses them all, who quickly disappear from the room, leaving only the unconscious (if not already dead) Polo, the towering colossus Sergio, the infuriated Grey, two young girls, and himself in the room.

Giving a satisfied sigh, Samuel redirects his attention back to Grey.

"Now, Little Johnson, how about we revive the old times?"


	7. Cross your Heart

Grey sits on the chair as prompted by the decrepit Samuel, while Amber and the unknown girl follow suit into the small room that Sergio had opened. The room seems to be some sort of rundown office, with a large, splintered wooden table in the center and one single chair near the entrance. Samuel's hovering chair carries him to the other side of the table, while Grey drops himself onto the other, showing a derisive and sour mug all the while.

On Amber's side, she had to steady herself a bit, after being promptly glared at by the immense Sergio. Her shoulders dropped several centimeters, and she became incapable of mustering strength. The lilac-haired girl still remained expressionless for her part, not showing drowsiness, care, comfort, or anything. She was for all intents and purposes, impassive.

Once Samuel reaches the other end of the table, he beams an unpleasant smile.

"What do you want, Samuel?" Grey's annoyance is clearly audible.

Samuel coughs for a bit, which prompts Sergio to reach for him, but is stopped by the decrepit man, who motions him to pull back with his hand.

"Ah… the old age is reaching me" Samuel chuckles.

"More like the slag's wasted you" Grey sardonically comments, which prompts him a slap that knocks him down from the chair, courtesy of Sergio. Standing up while rubbing his face, Grey cracks his jaw back in place.

"That was for your insolence, **_Johnson_** " Sergio hisses disdainfully.

"I didn't deserve that, but I guess I'll take it" Grey scoffs, rubbing his mandible. He picks the downed chair back and places it back on its feet with his left hand, as his right one is busy tending his injured mouth. Grey drops lazily on its wooden seat afterwards.

Samuel chortles at the scene.

"Did I miss you, Little Johnson" He says. "I didn't remember how much of a _pendejo_ you were. Ah, there are some things that never change, don't they?"

Grey holds back his full comeback at the prospect of receiving another slap from Sergio, who drills his eyes into Grey's skull, seeing the cynical smile forming on the younger man's lips.

"Chillax, _amigo_ " Grey muses. "Even I don't make fun of vestiges for long. It gets stale after a while, you know?"

There comes another slap, but this one Grey guards it. Blocking the monstrous hand with both of his arms, Grey is flung sideways from the chair, but this time he rolls into the floor and quickly reincorporates. He feels his arms ache tremendously, but hides the pain with bravado. Slowly standing up, Grey walks to the knocked chair, and this time kicks it back on its feet again.

"Well, before your hulk here kills me, why don't you cut down to the point?" Grey questions as he drops once again on the seat.

Samuel's eyes are practically shining, even his left, blank one.

"I really do like you, Little Johnson" The crook says. "But alas, time is short, so how about we get down to business, like good old friends?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline your friendship offer" The Vault Hunter answers. "The abuse in this relationship is too one-sided. May reconsider it if you let me shoot you in the face"

Samuel gives off a bigger laugh, but he's interrupted mid-laugh by a fit of coughing. Sergio once again tries to help his boss, but is stopped like last time.

"You're of the biggest _cabrones_ that have ever graced Capricho, Little Johnson" Samuel says after recovering his breath. "Not many of the people of Capricho have your guts, actually, scratch that, I can only think of a few names in the whole blue seas of Chariot that are as idiotic as you"

"I don't know if I should feel honored, but we're getting sidetracked again" Grey indicates, but is promptly ignored by Samuel, who keeps going his way.

"Well, guts and stupidity are needed to hunt for the Vault, and you're gold on both accounts" Samuel continues.

Under his scowl, Grey feels alarmed at the fact that these people know that he's searching for the Vault. He hadn't told them, of course, but turning back briefly at Amber and the emotionless girl who was supposedly the same as Amber, Grey guessed that surely they knew something about the Empty Braver, and in consequence of the "Ship Girls" and by association, of the position of those who had found a "Ship Girl". Grey had no other explanation as to why this lilac-haired girl could be here…

"I've heard that only idiots can change the paradigm, but there is someone here who is much of a _bigger_ epitome than me in both aspects" Grey chuckles venomously, containing the urge to turn to see Sergio's face.

Thankfully, the colossus doesn't seem to catch on. But after a few seconds of silence, Grey catches Samuel's low chuckle.

_"_ _Yay, +1 for avoiding detection"_ Grey high-fives himself in his mind.

"But we digress" Samuel finally says. "Say, Little Johnson, how about you go on for a good ol' round in the arena?"

"I don't have a choice here, do I?" Grey asks rhetorically. "Why waste your breath if it's already decided that I'll be going anyways?"

"Hoho" Samuel laughs. "It'll be a lot more enjoyable if your whole heart's on it, both for yourself, the other combatants, the audience… and us. I'm an entertainer, you know? I always seek to give my spectators the best shows"

"Ha? Just for some kind of fucked up professionalism?" Grey sneers. "Give me a break"

"But, besides that, I wanted to see you, Little Johnson" Samuel admits with a warmth that could have been considered fatherly in other circumstances. "Can't you give an old man at least just that?"

"Well, you didn't blow my head behind my back, so I guess?" Grey shrugs.

"So, it's decided? You'll participate?" Samuel's voice becomes inflected with excitement.

"I don't have a choice, so let's just do it" Grey sighs. "But how asshole-y are you feeling today? 20 minutes? 30? An hour? A hundred-man round? Or will it be 200?"

The digits make Amber jump in her place besides the expressionless girl.

"W-w-wait!" She cries, but is purposefully ignored.

Samuel chuckles audibly "Heard of the Ultimate Challenge?"

"Haven't been here for years, can't say I have" The Vault Hunter admits.

"Hehehe" The old man grins darkly. "Basically, 40 minutes with breaks of 2 every 15, so two rests, unlimited meatbags mainly in waves of 50, but there'll be some surprises, hehe"

"…I don't like where this is going" Grey voices his thoughts. "Last time you did something like that, those poor assholes didn't even survive the minute. I'm not sure what hit them to this day"

Amber doesn't like the sound of any of that in the least.

"Come on, Little Johnson!" Samuel laughs heartily. "I'm sure you can pull it off!"

Grey stays still for a second. It's insane, in every aspect, he has no way of winning.

"That's too much"

"Didn't I say already?" Samuel says. "I'm looking for a nice show. I wouldn't be proposing this if I wasn't sure you could do it"

"Yeah, I don't believe you. Your definition of good show isn't particularly reliable"

The Vault Hunter stops for a moment to think again. He has nothing that could possibly allow him to survive this suspicious "Ultimate Challenge". Without Overclock and access to the rest of his arsenal besides the Strife, his basic Repeater, and the Renegade (and also the lack of ammo), he couldn't possibly survive the onslaught of enemies. He _could_ work around the bandits (or as Samuel referred to them, meatbags), but he was honestly worried about the "surprises". But he has no means to refuse the challenge… and of course, Samuel is _dying_ to have Grey take it on.

Grey disregards everything. He decides that if he's going for it, he might as well bet it all.

"Okay, I'll take on this 'ultimate' shit or whatever" He declares.

**_"_** ** _C-COMMANDER!"_** Amber shrieks, which prompts her to be pulled again by the other Ship Girl. Amber struggles immensely. "I- NO! I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT!"

"I'll do it, but you'll have to listen to my conditions" Grey says, disregarding the rest of Amber's screams.

Grey feels his heart drop heavily when Amber receives a hit to her gut from Sergio. The hit takes the air out of her lungs, and even if she was more resistant than the usual human, the hit was as effective as it could have ever been. Clenching his fists until his knuckles become white, Grey swallows the anger.

"First" Grey lists, steeling his voice. "I'll get one grand for every minute, breaks not included of course"

"Only if you complete the whole challenge" Samuel reasons sadistically. "40 grands or nothing"

Grey bites the bullet.

"Deal. But second" He says, raising two fingers on his right hand. "If I win, I'll take Amber with me"

Samuel shrugs nonchalantly "Sure"

"Third" Grey raises a third finger. "If I win, you'll allow me _and_ _everyone who's with me_ to leave Capricho with no problem"

Samuel smiles amusedly, mindful of the choice of words Grey used "Of course"

"And fourth…" Grey lowers his hand, and feeling his heartbeat ring inside his head, he gulps. He knows that what he's about to say might get him killed on the spot, but having come this far, he decides to push all of his luck through.

"I want her"

Grey points out to the lilac-haired girl behind Amber. This surprises not only Samuel, Sergio and Amber, but also instantly break said girl's frozen face, who drops Amber's gearbox to the ground, producing a loud ***Thump!*** against the wooden flooring.

**_"_** ** _WHAT!?"_** Comes not Sergio's, not Samuel's, not the lilac-haired girl's, but Amber's hysterical cry.

"I want this girl, and if I win, I'll take her, _along_ with Amber" Grey declares, with emphasis on the last part.

Sergio's only eye is wide like a plate, and Samuel has a maniacal grin that is creepier than it already is thanks to his yellow teeth, both of his own eyes extortionate. The old crook's body begins to tremble in insane glee.

"I'll take this challenge only on these conditions" Grey finishes.

Stretch and loosen, that was one of the only methods Grey knew for negotiation. He would make unreasonable demands when he would be forced equally unreasonable ones. As questionable and insane as this method was, it had served Grey to survive in Chariot. Of course, he knew that he couldn't trust Samuel in the least, but he hoped that the old fossil would at least hold his end of the deal. Samuel was stretching things too much, so Grey did the same.

Samuel Jáquez was no fool, of course he knew since the very beginning that it would have ended in some sort of negotiation. He had completely expected the first three points: money and a way out had been high on the list as expected, although the third point was a bit of an oddball; Samuel was expecting the appeal for a safe exit of Capricho, but was slightly confused when Grey worded the point so strangely. But the fourth point? That had been a complete curve Samuel hadn't expected.

If his body wasn't so deteriorated, Samuel would have exploded in crazy laughter.

"What the fuck are you saying, Johnson!?" Sergio explodes, moving towards the Vault Hunter, who deliberately waited to be picked up by the colossal hands of Samuel's best underling.

"C-COMMANDER!" Amber shoots herself towards the gigantic Sergio. The instant Grey had said that he wanted the unknown girl, said girl had let go of Amber, who was too stunned at that moment to understand what her Commander had just said, but once Sergio began choking the Vault Hunter, Amber jumped like a coil sprig that had been compressed tightly under that moment.

Grey resists the choking, keeping a darkly grin on his face. The young man starts struggling against Sergio's grip, trying to keep himself awake until Samuel responds.

For his part, Sergio is surprised to see how the tiny Amber was actually _budging_ his grip on Grey, which in return made him try even harder to snap the young man's neck.

The answer comes a little bit too late for the Vault Hunter's comfort. He caught on the decrepit elder's words by the time his vision was warped and blurry.

" _La puta madre,_ Little Johnson!" Samuel grins. "You're officially the biggest idiot in Chariot!"

"S-So?" Grey painfully musters under his pressed neck. "A-air'd be n-nice, you k-know? L-like r-right now…"

Samuel gives a satisfied sight.

"You got yourself a fucking deal, Little Johnson!" Samuel booms with a voice that betrays his frail figure.

As soon as the words leave Samuel's mouth, Sergio releases Grey, who strenuously falls to the ground and begins coughing, his lungs screaming for air. He finds himself joined by Amber.

"C-Commander, are you alright!?" Amber worriedly calls.

"J-Just let me… b-b-breathe" He responds, and is prompted by Amber to sit on the ground with his back lowered, trying to stabilize his erratic state. Amber then gives him a wonderful massage in his back, which quickly becomes comfortable and improves his condition, although not enough to stand back on his feet. Amber gives a killer glare to Sergio, although this passes unnoticed by the hurting Grey. The exchange continues for almost for a full minute, but Samuel promptly interrupts them.

"The challenge starts in an hour, just let me prepare some things" Samuel says cheerfully, commanding his chair to move past Grey and Amber, ignoring them completely. "In an hour, go to the main lift, I'm sure you remember where it is"

Samuel exits the room followed by a reluctant Sergio, who doesn't forget to give one last killer glare to Grey. Only that he finds himself stared back by an ever scarier stare courtesy of the auburn girl. In the corner of his mind, Sergio acknowledges that he should be wary of the little Amber.

The office then loses its most "vocal" members, leaving behind a panting Vault Hunter and a pair of girls, one attending him, and the other completely stupefied.

All three of them remain doing their thing. It takes Grey a good 10 minutes to regain composure, and even though Amber's adamant about him getting better attention, the obstinate man refuses and stands up. He feels very dizzy once he's back on his feet, but remains up through sheer willpower.

Grey walks to the stunned young girl.

"Hey!" He says brusquely.

"W-who…? W-what?" Finally comes her voice. It's much softer and fainter than Amber's.

"Hey, right here" Grey motions towards himself, seeing how the lilac-haired girl is still disoriented.

"Y-you?" She says. "Y-You are…"

"Grey Arkham" He responds somewhat painfully, as his throat still is sore and throbbing. "And from this moment on, you're with me"

The words cause the girl to freeze in place.

"W-why?" She says. "W-what are you saying?"

However, Grey isn't in the mood for explanations.

"Listen up" He inhales excruciatingly "You're going to help me survive this stupid challenge, and then, you're leaving this forsaken hellhole with us. With me… and this girl"

Grey is taken aback by the girl's gloomy response. The girl casts her gaze down, and places her right hand over her left forearm, suddenly becoming tiny and giving a vulnerable appearance. Her face then loses all emotion once again. There are no tears or sad eyes, but an empty expression adorning her features. Grey thinks at this moment that she really looks like a doll. Her skin is much fairer than Amber's, and her face is much more fine and delicate compared to the auburn's round and somewhat childlike.

"Hey, what's your name?" Grey asks.

The girl remains expressionless, with her eyes still downcast. "I have no name"

This surprises Grey and Amber as well.

"Tell me your story" Grey says "How did you end here?"

The girl nods absentmindedly.

"I woke up seven days ago… in the border of this city. My… Commander found me in a strange metallic box and I… followed him to this place. Here… he sold me to Samuel Jáquez.

For the past seven days I've been… participating in the arena. I've… participated more than once day every day…"

Grey's anger spikes at this.

"Who was this shitty Commander who sold you to these assholes?" Grey asks, pushing through the ache. He's sure this girl's been touched, if not outright abused by Samuel's people, but he's not sure if he should ask. Anger and hatred boil in Grey's soul.

"He… never told me his name…" She responds slowly.

"And he sold you just like that!?" Grey growls. Amber shrieks a bit behind him. "What the fuck!?"

"…Yes" She simply admits. "I do not… know the quantity… but-"

"FUCK THAT!" Grey growls. "I don't need to know that, and forget that fucker right now!"

She turns to him, and sees a fierce expression on him.

"W-why…?" Comes Amber's voice. The lilac-haired girl turns her eyes to the auburn, and finds tears in her bright brown eyes. "How c-can you say that like it's nothing?"

The nameless girl remains silent.

"Do you remember anything about yourself?" Grey asks in a severe voice.

"…I don't" she responds.

Grey then smiles a little, and then puts his right hand over Amber's head, and begins rubbing her slowly "Then you're just like this crybaby behind me"

Her eyes glimmer a bit under her lavender hair.

"I found this girl two weeks ago in an island on the eastern seas. She was sleeping in a weird metallic coffin as well. Once she woke up, she registered me as her 'Commander' or something like that. To cut the long story short, we got stranded here due to fuel problems, and Samuel found me. The rest you can guess"

Grey takes a moment to note that the girl and her clothes are filthy, probably due to lack of washing. The girl herself is pale, and upon closer inspection, Grey sees bags under her eyes, possibly due to a lack of sleep and/or malnutrition. Her hands are also full of scars and bruises, and something tells Grey that the rest of her body surely has far worse marks under her clothes.

Upon closer inspection, this girl is a total wreck.

"Which leaves us in this situation" Grey declares. "Right now I need you to help me"

The girl stares wordlessly at him.

"I want to get out of this shithole, but I need your help" Grey says. "And I can take you out of here too, if you let me"

The girl pulls back from him "W-why? Why should I trust you?"

"Listen, Samuel _will not_ keep his word. I know the old bastard well enough to know that he'll backstab me at the last moment, and if he does it, we'll all be staying here. You, me, and Amber here" Grey explains. "But, if you help me, we can all leave this shithole"

"I don't… I don't even know you"

"Then just get to know me" Grey reasons. "Listen, I know how shit works here, I know what is done to the girls around here, and I don't even want to think what was done to a girl as pretty as you"

She begins panicking. "Y-You… How do you…"

"There is no time!" Grey says desperately. "Listen, in thirty minutes I'll be thrown into a cage, and I can in no way survive this ridiculous challenge by myself, or at least, not as I am now"

The girl says nothing.

"Please!" Grey snaps forcefully, the aching in his throat hurting the more he speaks. "I need you!

I need you…"

The girl remains expressionless.

"Will you sell me after this is over?"

"NO! Goddamn, no!" Grey shouts.

"Will you… will you make me… kill people? Like in the… arena"

"I won't make you do something like in the arena…" Grey sighs, closing his eyes. "But I… I can't promise that the killing will stop"

The girl's emotionless face crumbles a bit, showing sadness.

"Listen well to me" Grey forces himself to speak with an aching throat. "I'm a Vault Hunter, and my path's full of thousands of corpses. I've lost the count a long time ago, and I'm sure that I'll keep killing in the future.

I'm no savior, I'm an asshole in an insane quest in an even crazier world. I'm trying to mend a mistake I caused in the past, and to do it, I'll have to kill a lot more. The Vault is the quickest to accomplish my goal, and the road to it is full of insanity and killing, I know that, you don't have to tell me. Maybe I'm just fucked up as it is, but at this moment, I don't care about killing anyone who stands in my way, and now, call me a hypocrite if you want, I won't care, but please do listen to this: even if I've killed bandits nonstop ever since I got my hands on my first gun, I want to save a few lives along the way if I can do it.

Because I know that there still are things that can be salvaged even in a shitty place like this planet. I'm no guardian angel, but there are things I want to protect, even someone as rotten as me has that desire within him.

You're no bandit or like any of the assholes in this city. You're just a girl who shouldn't be here. And… if you let me, I want to save you, why you ask? Simple, because to me, you're worth saving, simple as that."

The nameless girl stares profusely at the Vault Hunter, whose face goes slightly red.

"H-hey now, I don't know how to talk to girls or whatever, so just sit with me on this one" He excuses himself, unsure of what to say next.

It's Amber who continues the conversation.

"I… I'm just like you. I was found in a weird metal coffin and have no memory of myself. I also have a box like yours, look" Amber picks up her box from the ground, and shows it to the blue-eyed girl.

Grey notes that her eyes are actually a vibrant shade of blue once he sees her closely. Her eyes seem to fluctuate somewhat depending on the lighting. Grey had thought at first that her eyes were greenish-blue, but right now, they were closer to electric blue, and with her vibrant hair color, they were accentuated. It was too bad that her face was so gaunt, as Grey was sure that she was a real beauty.

The girl then takes off her own box and compares it to Amber's. The nameless girl's box is identical to Amber's, only lacking the separate metal panel. Grey does note, however, that the girl's box has embedded the symbols弥生 tailored on its center, where Amber's single電 symbol was. Grey supposed that it indicated some sort of name or code, as it was clearly different from the auburn girl's, being that there were two symbols on it instead of one, for beginners.

"Look, we're the same, nanodesu" Amber says with a tiny smile. "And… And I know we just met, but I think… I think I've seen you somewhere before. I feel like we are connected in some way or another, nanodesu"

The other girl stares with an empty expression at Amber's box.

"I-I know that it may seem sudden and rude, but… but…" Amber's words fall into silence.

Grey sighs a bit, frustrated by his throat. He fears that he'll go aphonic after all this talking. Irritated at Amber's pause, he pushes the auburn girl towards the other.

"Say whatever's on your mind" Grey instructs curtly.

"Hawawawa!" Amber flails, but is nudged again by her Commander.

"U-Umm… W-would you… would you…" Amber's voice trails off.

Grey decides to hold himself back.

Amber's voice is incomprehensible, but Grey manages to catch her distinctive voice.

"Louder" He says.

Amber doesn't respond.

"Louder" He repeats.

**"** **W-WOULD YOU BE MY FRIEND!?"** Amber's voice rings out several decibels too high for Grey's comfort, who flinches.

"Dammit, Amber!" He curses.

"Hawawawa! I'm so sorry Commander!" She immediately apologizes. "Gomenasai! Gomenasai!"

"And what does _that_ even mean!?"

"W-Well… um…"

"Urk… don't… just… throat aches…" Grey grieves in defat while rubbing his throat, dismissing the girl with mild annoyance.

Amber turns back to the other girl, meekly hiding behind her box.

"C-can we?" Amber's tiny words barely reach the other girl.

Amber felt she had several tons of weight over her shoulders when waiting for the answer. The auburn closes her eyes profusely, fearful at the possibility of rejection.

"…I'd… Like that" Comes the lavender's soft voice.

"R-really?" Amber asks meekly.

"…Yes, serious" There is a tiny smile in the blue-eyed girls face, the first smile she's had ever since she awoke seven days ago.

Amber then proceeds to give a hug to her new companion. The lavender girl seems surprised at the sudden display of affection, but in the end accepts it, also returning the embrace.

If Grey had been any cornier than he was (he refused to accept that there was corniness in his self), he'd have smiled at the show, but right now, his attention was more focused on repairing his throat.

"S-So!" Amber says after breaking the hug. "Commander, what'll be her name, er- nickname?"

"Huh?" Grey's voice is becoming weaker the second. "What do you mean?"

"You gave me mine, s-so you should give one to her as well" She reasons.

"Name yourself" Grey cuts simply.

Amber whimpers like beaten dog "B-but… C-Commander…"

"You… named her?" The lavender-haired girl asks grey, who nods in confirmation. "Why?"

"Huh?" Grey snarls gruffly, his mood worsening.

"Hawawawa!" Amber butts in. "I-it's not the Commander's fault! I mean, I was so adamant about the name, and he insisted that I named myself, but I couldn't find one, and he threatened with calling me 'box', but I refused, and in the end he said that it'd be Amber becausemyeyesremindedhimofitandIlikeditverymuchanditstuckI'msososorry!"

Grey's mouth is slightly open, although his eyes are languid. He's more impressed by the tongue twister that was the last part of Amber's phrase… and that he actually _understood_ it. He shrugs the occurrence, resuming the rubbing of his neck.

"Then… name me as well" Comes the new girl's soft voice.

_"_ _Oh freaking great"_ Grey curses his luck in his mind. He turns back to her, and gives his best 'are you for real?' look he's mustered in a long time. The girl for her part remains motionless, staring keenly into Grey's eyes.

Grey already had a name in mind once he saw how her eyes were different depending on how you looked at them though, so he decides to use it just to end with this.

"Alex" He says weakly. "Because of the gem, throat hurts, so don't want to explain"

Alexandrite is a curious gem that changes colors depending on the light. In daylight, it could seem blueish green, or purplish or even red under incandescent light. Sure, when Grey had first seen her, he thought that her eyes had been a greenish blue, but the closer he got to her, the more he found that her eyes were actually blue. Sure, the case didn't really stand, but there was also the fact that her pretty hair color was exquisite, and its hue was also one of the colors that Alexandrite could show. It was broken logic, but Grey decided to stick with it, not being really one for names.

"Alex…" The girl repeats. Grey feels that he's seen the same scene somewhere before…

"Alex" She repeats, as if she's acknowledging herself to the name.

"Or just 'Al', for short" Grey murmurs.

"Alex. I like it" The girl declares after repeating the name a third time.

_"_ _Whatever suits you"_ Grey thinks.

"W-well, Alex, it's nice to meet you, nanodesu" Amber chirps with a smile. "Let me introduce myself again, I'm Amber, and this is my Commander, Grey Arkham" She motions towards the young man, who's decided to sit in the chair once again. Grey gives a two-finger salute to the girl, and returns to rubbing his neck.

"S-So, Alex" Amber says, also taking the name slowly. "W-Will you… will you be joining us?"

Alex remains motionless, her gaze changing back and forth between Amber and Grey. The girl turns her gaze back to the floor, and clenching her small hands into fists, she pulls her gearbox onto her back again.

"I'll go with you"

Grey incorporates with a smile.

"Let's fucking do this" He says in a muffled, almost inaudible whisper.

* * *

"Please, would you come in? My Commander needs to speak with you" The lilac-haired girl had said.

"Hah? What do you want!?" The guard responded.

"Just come in here…" Alex repeats, her tone impassive, never changing.

The guard garbed in a layer of red plastic armor sighs, and goes into the office as told so. Sure, Boss Samuel had told him and the rest of the people to _not_ shoot the people inside, but that didn't mean he had to _like_ following the order.

What was the old man thinking? The guy was basically a foreigner. He himself didn't know him personally, having entered into Mr. Samuel's wing just a few months ago, but why would-

"Sweet dreams" Comes a ghastly murmur from behind him.

And everything goes black.

"Y-you didn't kill him, right Commander!?" A frantic Amber cries.

Dropping his right foot in a spectacular manner, Grey kicked the guard with his leg in a fashion few can pull off. With the heel of his foot and the metallic plating of the boot, Grey smashed the unsuspecting guard's nape and sprayed him into the ground with a devastating high axe kick.

Grey doesn't respond, deciding instead to scavenge the guard's body/corpse without bothering to check his pulse. Inspecting his belongings, Grey finds a couple of bucks and two unmodified grenades, which he slides into his pockets, as well as a few magazines of SMG ammo. Grey scavenges a cheap Tediore SMG, which he puts down; then he also finds a Hyperion handgun, which makes him cringe a bit; he shows the gun to Alex, who nods at the sight of the gun, which then finds its place in her hands, as Grey pitches it to her. Then, reaching for the waist, Grey identifies a cheap bandit 'Roid shield, which he shows to Alex. This time, the girl gives him a confused look, but has it passed on to her nonetheless; Grey then motions towards his right shoulder, and mimicking him, Alex places the apparatus on her own shoulder, which surprises her as it attaches to her clothes.

The guard doesn't have any more loot with him, however, Grey still has use for one more thing from his belongings. Grey tears out the ECHO from the guard's belt, and places it in his own waist. Amber and Alex stare intently at their Commander's curious actions.

Once the ECHO is secured to his belt, Grey switches it on. Quickly browsing through the vanilla menu, Grey finds the function to write. Expanding the screen, he swings his wrist, which makes a small keyboard appear on the window.

_"_ _cant talk, gotta use this"_ He writes, and shows it to the girls.

"H-Huh? What do you mean, Commander?" Amber asks.

Grey quickly erases the text and taps on the holographic keyboard once again.

_"_ _throat busted"_ Grey points his throat, where Sergio's hands are still imprinted.

"O-oh" Amber sheepishly laments.

Manipulating the screen once again, Grey produces a new message.

_"_ _do u no about the ultimate challenge?"_ He directs the screen to Alex.

"No" She nods. "I've only participated in the hundred-man and 1 hour competitions"

_"_ _that sucks. but u no about the arena, no?"_

"Yes. The arena today will most likely be the urban one. It'll have various forms of debris and pieces of buildings to use as cover, as well as explosives"

Grey is alarmed by this. He quickly deletes the message and furiously enters the new one.

_"_ _more than 1 arena?"_

"Yes. I've participated in… three different ones" Alex reminisces. "…Does it matter?"

_"_ _not sure"_

Grey would like to voice his thoughts aloud, but he's limited by an aching throat that prevents him from talking, and text isn't really an effective way of communicating.

_"_ _can u use guns?"_ He motions the message to Alex again.

"Small arms… are no problem… but my own cannon…" She responds.

_"_ _pistols? smg? Name them. ur cannon?"_

"I've grown accustomed to handguns and assault rifles mostly. I have no more rounds for my cannon, however"

Grey curses on his mind.

_"_ _thats bad"_

"Do you think we'll need them?" Alex asks

_"_ _wanna be ready 4 anything"_

The trio goes silent for a while, until Amber speaks.

"I-I still have some shots left" She says.

Grey's eyes beam at the revelation.

_"_ _how many shots left?"_ He motions this message to Amber.

"S-seven shots, I think?"

_"_ _sweet. we use them if shit go south, k?"_

Amber nods.

_"_ _k, now give the rounds to al"_

"H-huh? What do you mean Commander?" Amber asks.

Grey gives her an equally confused look.

_"_ _give ur rounds to alex so she can use em"_

"But why?"

_"_ _cause we need them duh"_

"But well, all of them? I mean, can I really do that?"

_"_ _wont know til we try"_

"Hmm… Alex-san, what type is your cannon?" Amber asks.

"A 12 cm Naval Gun" She responds.

"O-Oh, then I'm afraid it's not going to work…"

_"_ _why?"_

"Because my shells are for a 12.7 Twin mount. They won't fit Alex-san's gun…"

_"_ _then give her ur cannon?"_

"Hawawa!" Amber cries. "Can that be done!?"

_"_ _lol let's try?"_

"B-but if I do that, then I'll have no weapons…"

Silence shrouds the room.

"W-why are you looking at me like that, Commander? Is there something in my face?" Amber asks to the perplexed Grey, who slowly taps the keys of the keyboard.

_"_ _u talk like u wanna come with us"_

"Y-yes!" Amber blurts out. "I mean, of course, nanodesu!"

_"_ _thought u were against all this? the killing I mean"_

Amber then casts her gaze down a bit.

"I-I know it's weird, nanodesu" She says. "H-However, I know that I'll regret it if I don't come with you, Commander. I know that I'm being weird, but when I think that you and Alex-san are going into a scary place against so many enemies, I feel… I feel scared, scared that you'll disappear and not come back, and that I'll be left alone… so… if it comes to this, then I prefer disappearing alongside you"

Grey then gives a small muted laugh.

_"_ _even tho ur trembling?"_

"W-what?"

Amber then realizes that she indeed is shaking. Her knees feel like jelly, and her whole frame wobbles unsteadily. However, the girl clenches her fists.

"I… I want to go" She says. "I can't let you go into this reckless fight alone, Commander… c-can't I?"

Grey gives a serious look to his companion.

_"_ _ur gonna kill a lot of bandits"_

"Yes"

_"_ _u may not survive this. maybe none of us will"_

"T-that's why I want to go. I can't just sit in the sidelines, nanodesu!" Amber says vehemently. "Not when my Commander is doing something so dangerous!"

Silence fills the room. Amber pleads to Grey with reddened eyes. After giving a sigh, Grey hits the keyboard one last time.

_"_ _dont get in the way and if shit goes wrong stay behind me"_

Amber gives an energetic nod. Grey sighs once again and steps out of the office, followed closely by Amber and Alex.

Grey never expected that the day he stepped again in Capricho he'd have to go into a reckless challenge, and even less that he'd do it alongside two young girls who barely reached his chest. He turns his gaze back at the girls momentarily, and identifies determination and fear in Amber, while Alex has gone back to her poker face, although he can faintly see a warm twinkle in her eyes, very dim and easily unnoticeable, but definitely present.

Grey prepares for his worst day in the city of Capricho.


	8. Public Enemy

**"ARE YOU READY,** **_CABRONES_ ** **!?"**

The crowd responds with a deafening roar.

**"** **LOUDER YOU** **_PUTITAS_ ** **!"**

An even louder boom fills the second arena of Capricho.

**"** **FUCKING HIGHER!"**

**"** **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"**

**"** **WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE!?"**

**"** **BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"** The spectators shout in an ungodly chorus. **"BONES BREAKING! BRAINS FLYING! VIOLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENCE!"**

**"** **FUCK YEAH WE DO!"** The microphone of the commentator buzzes with static. **"AND WE GOT A SPECIAL SHOW JUST FOR YOU** ** _PENDEJOS_** **TONIGHT!"**

The bandit under the spotlight in the center of the arena raises his finger to the sky.

**"** **TONIGHT WE GOT SOME SPECIAL** ** _CABRONES_** **TAKING UP MR. J'S** **ULTIMATE CHALLENGE** **!"** He says, which immediately increases the tumult. **"THAT'S RIGHT, MOTHERFUCKERS! TODAY WE'LL HAVE A CARNAGE DIRECTED BY NONE OTHER THAN THE ONE AND ONLY MR. SAMUEL!"**

The spectators of tonight's slaughter-dome almost caused the hearing loss of all of themselves at the commentator's declaration.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the upper grounds, several meters up from the arena, Grey, Alex and Amber stand side to side.

"These assholes sure like their show…" Grey mutters with a low voice.

"Is your throat better, Commander?" Amber asks nervously.

"Yeah. Those Rejuvinators are scary though" Grey responds, rubbing again his neck. He had gotten one of the red tubes off the vending machine just outside the lift a few minutes ago with the little money they had left. Amber had screamed out of the top of her lungs when Grey pierced the side of his neck with the needle, while Alex for her part was more or less nonplussed. While the damage to his throat was repaired, the pain wasn't completely gone. He could speak again, though, albeit only in a low voice, lest he wanted to feel sharp pain.

The Vault Hunter had developed a minor case of abhorrence to written communication in the past minutes. Holding a conversation through text is a pain in the butt, Grey thinks.

The three of them stand inside a large metallic platform inside some form of cabin. Grey has his back against the fence on one of the edges of the square platform, having his arms folded against his chest. Amber is close to him, nervously inspecting every nook and cranny of the contraption they are standing in, while Alex remains standing still near the center of the lift for her part, a lot more relaxed than the other girl, as she had been using the lift quite a few times during the last 7 days. The trio can hear the crowd and annunciator below them through the metal and concrete, which makes Amber even more restless.

"Take a deep breath" Grey murmurs softly. "Just try not to stay frozen in place. Those who don't move it, will lose it"

Amber doesn't understand the lingo, and isn't really assured by Grey's nonchalance either, but nonetheless tries to steady her respiration.

"EEK!" It takes her by surprise when the lift suddenly jerks.

The lift starts moving at a considerate speed, dropping down the Vault Hunter and two Ship Girls into a tunnel with strobes that light the whole way down. Grey and Alex are unaffected by the abrupt change of the elevator, but the same cannot be said about the nervous wreck that is Amber.

Once Grey feels that they are nearing the bottom, he separates from the fence of the lift and motions the girls to listen to him.

"Stay close, don't panic, and most important: Stay alive" He says. "Small arms for the bandits, only use the cannon on my mark. I'll leave the clocking to you with your ECHO, Amber. Questions?"

"Y-yes!" Amber jerks in her place. "H-how am I supposed to use this again?"

She motions towards the small submachinegun in her hands. It was a cheap Tediore Hefty Subcompact MG, a small firearm that was overall easy to use and had decent (although not outstanding) firepower. Grey had gotten it off the guard he had smashed- er, kicked earlier.

Grey places himself behind the girl and uses his arms to move her body. Amber's frame is tiny compared to him, and as such, even a SMG is a little bit too big for her hands. This is somewhat countered by the light weight of the plastic-like gun. The firearm is somewhat awkward to use for her, but Grey motions the stock to her shoulder and has her use both hands to hold the gun.

"Align your shoulders with the barrel and stock, you can use the optical sight to help yourself aim. Anything that is within the mark of the center is where the gun will hit, just try not to pick targets from too far away" The Vault Hunter says, and Amber nods. Once her shoulders are in a well-enough position, Grey then moves her feet. "Left leg to the front, right to the back… enough for you to support the weight, try to spread your weight evenly, and not too much on your knees. Find a position to shoot comfortably while not moving your shoulders too much. This gun is light and doesn't produce much recoil, so it's not that hard to use, just don't overdo it with the shots. To reload it, just toss it"

"Wait, what?"

"Tediore guns are iffy. If you throw it, it will explode like a bomb, while a new one is produced on your hands almost immediately. Be careful, though, they eat through your ammo rather quickly"

Grey wasn't a big fan of Tediore weaponry if he were to be perfectly honest. It was cheap, sure, but the way they used ammo nonstop was something he didn't really like. He preferred to have every shot count, and with the plastic, almost toy-like Tediore guns, he never felt truly satisfied.

"When you have no more shots, just toss it, trust me" He says. "As long as you have ammo on your box, you can keep tossing it… Actually lend me your ECHO for a bit"

Grey crouches and starts pressing buttons in Amber's ECHO. He hits various keys and commands, and guiding her through the holographs, she soon links her digistructing box-panel-thingy with her weapons. The virtue of Tediore weaponry is that once a gun is linked to the system, there is no need to prepare any magazines or cartridges, as the bullets are loaded directly into the gun each time a copy of it is produced.

Grey doesn't demerit the name. His shield _is_ Tediore, after all. He has to give credit where credit's due.

Tediore weaponry was also unofficially known as the favorite brand to kill large stuff quickly. When things were too big to handle, shoot once, toss the gun, shoot once, toss the gun again, and repeat until either your target is death, you deplete your ammo, or you die, whatever goes first. Grey hadn't really tried his hand at raiding big monsters yet, because as of now, the only _big_ , as in _colossal_ creatures usually were at sea near the Blackwaters (although Sergio Caballero was just a speck of dust away to enter the list in Grey's mind), and no one had managed to pierce through the murky section yet, and getting near that place wasn't on the average Joe's to-do list.

"…It's coming" Alex says softly.

"Hawawawa! I'm not ready yet!" Amber cries.

"Buckle up, girls" Grey chuckles grimly.

An intense white light blinds them momentarily, and soon the three of them find themselves soaring above a huge room. The roar of the people outside the wired cage is deafening, and none of the people in the lift are really able to understand a word. The room itself seems to be circular, and must have 3 or 4 kilometers of radius, or so Grey calculates. The spectators wildly attach themselves to the large wired fence that reaches up to the ceiling, which extends several meters high into the air and into the ceiling. Grey takes a step closer to the edge of the platform to observe the arena they'll be fighting in. It is a maze-like structure comprised of debris, mainly broken concrete and big, turned vehicles, but a particular section of the maze catches Grey's attention, which is the center of it; this part, unlike the rest of the maze, is a clearing of sorts, where there are no walls or corridors to run into or from, except for a few pieces of scattered concrete and what seem to be more scrapped vehicles. The lift has taken them several meters underground, and that in itself presents several circumstances to take note of.

But Grey is taken out of his thoughts when he hears Amber's voice.

"C-Commander!" She calls.

"What is it… wait, wha-?" Grey mutters as he also finds what Amber's seeing.

In the distance, there is another lift like the one Grey, Amber and Alex are riding… well, various actually, and in each and every single one of them are figures which Grey supposes are other participants for tonight's event. Grey counts seven platforms, and it surprises him to see this. He had participated on this very arena several years ago, however, a lot of things had changed, apparently. Grey however fixates his attention on one particular lift that is about 40 meters or so away from them. Amber spots two figures, and Grey also finds himself scrutinizing the unknown people: One is distinctively female, due to her slim figure, clad in white and black with long blueish silver hair that reaches below her waist… wait, what are those strange things around her head? _Wait_ , they're _floating_!?

Grey and Amber's confusion increases once they focus their attention on the other person. The unknown person's face is hidden under… a pair of sunshades? The color is curious, likely a glimmering white or silver, a curious color of choice, since they definitely can't see through them; the Vault Hunter can only see that this person has a mantle of short, dull copper red hair and is wearing a trench coat or large jacket…

"Wait… they're _waving_ at us?" Grey asks for Amber's confirmation. Grey sees the redhead is looking at their direction and has his or her right arm stretched upwards, shaking it to the sides quite vigorously.

Grey and Amber then observe that the redhead falls down. Neither can confirm what actually happened at that instant, but Grey could have sworn the female hit her companion and knocked him or her down with a really fast smack to their head. The red-headed figure crumbles down to the ground, and doesn't stand up… the female then turns back to Grey and Amber, but she's too far to truly discern much.

"…what was all that about?" Grey asks aloud, and is met by an equally perplexed Amber.

Grey is unable to think much about it, as soon the lift nears the ground, making the other lifts disappear behind the walls scattered throughout the stadium. The platform clicks with a loud metallic bang and lodges into the ground, and with it, Amber, Grey and Alex find themselves thrown into the maze-like arena. Grey turns to the ceiling, and finds a series of giant screens in which there's himself and the girls projected in a bright display that surely gives the spectators a good view of them; he instructs the girls to do as him and try not to stand out any more than they're already doing by not dragging any attention to their group. There must be at least 8 screens arranged in an octagon, and they're likely meant to show what's happening on the corridors, as the walls surely don't really let those who are too far away on the seats see what's going on in the inner sections of the labyrinth.

The trio leaves the lift, and take cautious steps into the arena. Amber feels her heartbeat ringing in her ears, but decides to suppress her worries and follow through. Alex still has an inscrutable expression, and Amber doesn't find any comfort in the lilac-haired girl's grimace. Grey has taken the vanguard for his part, while Amber's covering his left, and Alex the right. Without waiting for any confirmation, Grey begins walking into the labyrinth, quickly prompting the two girls to follow suit.

After separating about 10 meters from the lift, a voice booms. Neither Grey or Alex turn their gaze away from the labyrinth's ground, but Amber nervously turns to the sky to try and see where the announcer is.

**"** **YOU'RE IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN,** ** _CABRONES_** **!"** The announcer comes from all directions, courtesy of the giant speakers that are outfitted around the arena's perimeter. **"GIVE US A GOOD SHOW!"**

Grey reaches for the Strife behind his right shoulder, and then tilts his head sideways, producing a pleasant crack. Turning off the safety of the shotgun, he turns one last time to the girls.

"Don't do anything stupid. If we're in trouble, we flee. Alex, do you know your way around this arena?"

The girl gives a silent nod to him.

"Then I'll leave our escapes to you"

Grey checks one last time that there are shells loaded in the Strife. He hadn't needed to use the ornamented weapon yet, but today was going to be the day the aftermarket Jakobs gun would see use in a long time. He still didn't know what exactly made this weapon "special", and a little part of him was excited to finding it out.

**"** **ALL RIGHT! LET'S GO, PEOPLE!"** The announcer booms.

Grey tightens his grip on his weapon.

**"** **THREE!"** Both the announcer and the spectators roar.

Amber fidgets, gulping awkwardly. She reaches for the holographic screen, and waits for the countdown to finish to start their own clock. She's in charge of keeping track of time.

**"** **TWO!"**

Alex takes aim with her Hyperion Dynamic Impact, staring at the void with a null expression.

**"** **ONE!"**

_"_ _This is gonna suck…"_ Grey mutters under his breath.

**"** **GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

And overwhelming riff of electric guitars explode in the air.

* * *

No sooner than the start signal was given, bandits started literally _raining_ from the sky… well, walls to be more exact.

"I'LL EAT YOUR BRAINS!" Comes an ungodly scream from a bandit.

"AH DAMMIT!" Grey yells as he makes the first shot. The bandit's shoulder is pierced by a swarm of pellets, and falls down immediately.

Alex fires three rounds from her handgun, which hit squarely on three separate bandits' heads with terrifying accuracy, product of a week of getting accustomed to almost any kind of firearms, and stress… a _lot_ of stress.

"EYEBALLS IN VINEGAR ARE THE GREATEST THING EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRR!" A masked lunatic cries as his life extinguishes.

Amber shrieks as she also opens fire. The Tediore SMG she's using is quite easy to use, as per Grey's words. She doesn't feel much recoil, and while not too accurate, she finds bandits tumbling down as they're reached by the few sparse shots she manages to land. She's still not too precise, sadly.

Five bandits out of the twelve die, and Grey capitalizes their lack of coordination to easily shoot one more.

"More incoming!" Grey yells as the remaining half of the attackers armed with melee weapons comprised of buzz-saw bandit axes and pipes rush towards them from the front. There aren't any hostiles armed with firearms yet, but Grey supposes that they'll surely come in the later waves.

"I'LL MAKE CHEESE FINGERS… OUT OF **YOUR** FINGERS!" A running bandit spurts passionately.

Alex deftly ends two bandits with two headshots to add to her continuous spree.

"AAAAHHH!" Amber cries, her shots missing entirely her targets, allowing them to close in on them. "C-Commander!"

"I know!" He yells.

One bandit leaps towards the Vault Hunter, his steel pipe high into the air, but the blunt weapon never reaches Grey, as the bandit is tumbled into the opposite direction he had jumped from. Spinning on his left heel, Grey turns 360 degrees clockwise in place, and shifting his balance, he gives a powerful spinning back-kick to the bandit's gut, who is sent flying back-first into the ground. The bandit also drops his pipe, which Grey picks with his left hand, and then tosses it against another bandit that's coming full-front towards him. The pipe hits the bandit's right shin, causing him to trip.

"How's your melee!?" Grey shouts frantically.

"W-what!?" Amber cries.

"Melee! Hand-to-hand! CQC!" Grey elaborates in the middle of his frenzy. "These guys don't have any ammo on them, we're only losing bullets!"

Grey turns to see that Alex is already loading a new magazine into her handgun.

"I can do fine" The quieter girl elaborates.

Amber doesn't seem too fond of the idea, however.

"Dammit, Amber!" Grey shrieks, dodging a vertical slash from a bandit's buzz-axe with a swift step to his right. Taking advantage of the momentum, Grey once again spins, this time counter-clockwise with his left leg quickly raising into the air, and hits the bandit on his nape with the heel of his foot, plummeting the bandit's face into the cracked concrete ground.

Alex then rushes near Grey, and buries her small fist into another bandit. Grey's mildly surprised to see out of the corner of his vision a bandit fly helplessly across the stone corridor. "Nice"

Alex doesn't stop there, rushing towards another bandit, who she also proceeds to punch. This next bandit receives a powerful blow to his chest, and soon joins the ranks of downed hostiles.

Immediately, Grey turns back to Amber's direction, and sees the auburn girl is already firing against a new wave of enemies who're closing from the direction they originally came from, the lift. Using the remaining shot of the Strife to take out another bandit near him, Grey reloads the shotgun.

"Amber! Get over here!" The Vault Hunter orders from his position meters away from her, as the auburn girl hasn't advanced an inch ever since combat started. She nods desperately and rushes towards her Commander's direction. Is at this moment that more bandits start dropping from the walls to the sides, making the cleared front the only direction to go. "Hey, Al! We're moving, lead the way!"

The lilac-haired girl blocks a hit from a steel pipe with her arms. The bandit seems nonplussed by the fact that his weapon bended in an awkward angle at the hit, but doesn't get to give a second attack as he receives another punch to his face. Alex then shakes her right hand, and turns her head back to Grey, to whom she nods. The short girl then stomps the downed bandit with her right foot, and starts running, followed suit by Grey and Amber.

"H-how many of them are we going to fight!?" Amber shrieks.

"If Samuel wasn't bullshitting me, they're endless!" Grey responds, and follows Alex into a tight left turn. Grey then spies even more bandits falling from the sky. "Is there any place easy to defend in the maze, Alex?"

"No" She responds after a moment of thought. "Not on ground level, but we could climb the walls"

"How do we do that?" Amber asks.

"We take advantage of the terrain" Alex responds simply.

The trio has to come to a halt then, as bandits are surrounding them from every direction. Grey fires two consecutive shots, adding 2 more to the count of dead bandits. Alex also fires a few more rounds from her handgun, and each shot reaches each its target's head. Amber tosses her gun, and is both surprised and confused to see the SMG explode like a bomb against the bandit, only to appear again at her hands. She doesn't get to question it, though, as she's forced to continue firing against the enemies.

"Outta the way, grenade!" Grey shouts, then produces a spherical grenade from one of his pouches, which he tosses into the crowd of enemies. The blast isn't as strong as it could be, since Grey's modifier is offline, meaning that he has no way to use his Singularity 'Nades and is forced to settle with the standard explosives. Sure, they do pack a punch even still, but they are nowhere near the level and have much less utility than his usual ones.

The blast smashes 4 bandits to the walls and knocks quite a few more to the ground, giving Grey and both girls space to break through. Continuing their sprint forward, Grey lets Alex take point and lead them further into the labyrinth.

Another bandit pops out from the corner they just turned, but is greeted by Alex's fist. The bandit stumbles into the ground, and Alex once again shakes her hand.

"You don't really know how to do melee, do you, Al?" Grey asks at the sight. There are no apparent injuries on her hands, but Grey knows better, even if he's no expert himself. Her punches are amateurish, for all intents and purposes. Sure, she has great physical strength, but her posture, legwork and movements are all wrong. She may hurt herself if she keeps going at it like she's doing it right now.

The girl doesn't respond, keeping her back turned to the young man.

"I'm not patronizing you" He says as he dodges and kicks another bandit away from himself in the process. "I'm just saying that you may-" And a shell for another bandit. "-Hurt yourself if you don't know what you're- Ah, shit, here comes another"

"YOUR FACE LOOKS REALLY TASTY!" The bandit who's trying to claw at Grey with his bare hands shouts, showing rotten, yellow teeth under a mask that only covers the upper half of his face. "GIMME A BITE!"

"Sorry, pal, not on the menu!" Grey retorts and kicks the bandit on the torso, and then shoots him with the strife.

"Commander! We can't keep fighting like this, nanodesu!" Amber shouts as she tosses her Tediore SMG to another bandit, who barely stumbles back.

Alex for her part has refrained from using her hands, and is firing again with her Impact. The numbers swarm, and the trio is finding themselves cornered. Grey tosses another grenade, which clears out a small space to the direction they intend to go, but it is quickly closed by more bandits.

"I'LL CHEW ON YOUR BONES!" One bandit screams.

"FUCK M-" Grey doesn't get to finish his swear. As if on cue with the loop of the black metal song in the background, something around him shakes, taking him by complete surprise. "Did you feel that!?"

"W-what was that, Commander!?" Amber cries.

The young man turns to the wall to his right, which he swears just trembled; he can't say for certain that it indeed just did that, as the loud guitar grooves drowned momentarily all other sounds, but Grey is sure that the metal panels and rocks which make the wall have just rattled and clattered. The bandits keep going after him and the girls, and no matter how many they kill, they just keep coming. Still, Grey trusts his gut; placing the shotgun back on its magnetic lock, he takes one of each girl's hands with his own, then he pulls them away from the wall.

"What-" Amber doesn't get to finish her phrase, as Grey drops himself and pulls the girls belly-first down to the floor along with him.

And she soon is glad that her Commander had done so.

The wall collapses into a cloud of smoke and dust with the distinctive bang of explosives, causing pieces of metal and rock to fly into the corridor. Many of the bandits who were in the corridor become buried under an avalanche of concrete, while others are simply blown away by the blast.

Grey doesn't have a moment to rest, because the bandits still push through the smoke towards them, nonplussed by the turn of events. Quickly jumping back in position, Grey feels a bit dizzy and has to deal with an annoying ringing in his ears due to the proximity of the explosion. Planting himself firmly on the ground, he draws his shotgun once again and fires another shell. He cocks the double barrel, and with a flick, the two empty caskets fall to the ground, which Grey proceeds to replace with full shells, and primes the gun once again.

He's already getting the knack of the Strife. It has two barrels, although both are concealed within one single thick casing of white iron, and each squeeze of the trigger fires one of the bullets, so he has two shots before needing to reload. It's due to his latest kills that he thinks he understands what exactly makes the Lunar Strife unique: Every time, the shot from the second barrel is incredibly accurate, while the first one has an awkward spread pattern. The second shot is accurate enough to hit targets at around 15 or so meters, while the first shot seems to have a weird effect that causes all pellets to spread in a wider area that doesn't hit quite as much in the center as Grey would like to. He still doesn't quite know if there's anything else to the first shot, but as of now, he's loving every single second shot: It's powerful, and really accurate, and it kills like a charm.

"The struggle is real, though…" He comments to himself, thinking of how he needs to eat through one bullet to get the better shot. It's not that the first shot is _bad_ per se, but it's just that the awkward spread form of the pellets of the first shot wasn't as effective as the second. The first bullets had been the reason that Grey had missed what otherwise would have been instantly killing shots; sure, most were fatal nonetheless, but Grey still had failed many instant deaths.

Grey shoots the second bullet, which hits a bandit in the torso and blows him away, then reloads the Strife once again. The Vault Hunter feels pressured by the lack of bullets still, because no matter how good a weapon, it's useless without bullets.

A bandit is flung into the air with a scream of "I JUST WANTED AN ICE CREEEEEEAAAAAAAMM!"

Amber and Alex also stand up from the ground, and cover Grey with their own guns. Amber is getting accustomed more easily than she'd admit to her Tediore Submachinegun, and although the concept of throwing a weapon at an enemy resulted strange to her at first, she finds that being able to make a bomb out of your weapon _and_ have it instantly reloaded by throwing it was both useful and practical. Alex doesn't really think too much of her weapon of choice, as she just wants to get on with the job.

"Amber! How's the clock!?" Grey shouts, switching from the Strife to his Repeater.

"7 minutes and 28 seconds, nanodesu!" The auburn girl responds.

"Shit! We need to get out- AAAH!" Grey is surprised by a bandit that leaps to him through the screen of dust, but is able to stop the incoming slash by grappling the bandit's arms at the last instant. He struggles for a bit, until he manages to kick him off. "Damn this smoke!"

"Girls, we need to-" Grey is cut short; turning his head towards the hole that was torn open in the wall, goosebumps creep on his back. The dust is already waning, and Grey doesn't have to wait too much to see that there is _something or someone_ waiting patiently for the smoke to disappear.

It doesn't take long for Grey to recognize a gigantic, bearded man, a man with quite the unfriendly expression.

"I'm here for your head, Johnson"

Grey blasphemies all manner of things inside his mind.

* * *

"I HATE THIS TOWN!" Grey yells to the air and nobody in particular as more mini-gun bullets zoom past him. "I HATE THIS TOWN SO FREAKING MUCH!"

"Eek!" Amber cries behind their cover, trying to hide herself as much as possible.

"T-that's a pretty big gun, Commander…" Alex's usual stoic face is also shaken, even if she tries to hide it.

"NOPE, THAT'S PRETTY DARN STANDARD I'M SURE!" Grey retorts cynically, shrinking his frame under the wall of concrete.

"T-This is not the time, Commander!" Amber shrieks.

"ALWAYS BE UP FOR SARCASM! SARCASM IS LIFE, DAMMIT!" Grey spurts nonsensically. "WHAT KIND OF STANDOFF IS THIS!? DIDN'T YOU SAY NO MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE, SAMUEL!?"

"He said 'waves mainly of 50', and I'm sure that that… man is one of the 'surprises'… also, didn't you say this yourself just a few minutes ago?" Alex deadpans.

"DAMMIT, ALEX! I DON'T NEED YOU REMINDING ME THAT I'M MY OWN GODDAMN SCREWER!" Grey growls. "I'VE GOT AMBER FOR THAT ALREADY!"

"C-Commander! Th-that's just mean!" Amber shrieks under her cover.

"WELL SUCK IT UP GAL 'CAUSE WE'RE IN GODDAMN TROUBLE!"

The fact that the covering won't last long doesn't help Grey's mood. Sergio Caballero, the _Gigante_ of Capricho has joined the game, and damn if he didn't spell disaster. Outfitted with a ridiculously heavy armor that covered his whole body except for his head and armed with a Gatling/mini gun connected to a gargantuan ammo box strapped to his back, Sergio was a juggernaut in every sense of the word. What was most scary about Sergio was the fact that he _was still able to move and give actual chase_ like it was no problem even with the tons and tons of added weight. He still needed to stand still and take aim to fire, but taking him on directly was out of the question. The fact that he sported the most disturbing killing face and showed it to the world didn't help the trio's nerves. The man was so fearless and ruthless he had forgone any form of protection to his face, and although Grey knew he could capitalize on this and shoot him there and the corridors of the maze could also help him hide… Sergio was no fool. Once the gigantic man joined the hunt, all bandits were organized under him, and that had made them harder to kill, as they moved with efficiency and also covered Sergio in the process, making the task of surviving a lot harder.

One bullet is enough to deal massive damage if not outright kill you, and Grey's bitterly aware of it. His shield _won't_ save him from this.

Right now, the three of them have taken various sharp turns under Alex's guide, and are hiding behind a broken piece of wall. The way Sergio manages to keep up with them is beyond the girls' understanding, but Grey for his part already knows that Sergio's capable of that much. While not particularly fast, as they could still move out of his effective firing range faster than he could reach them, the bandits made progression really hard, as they ran recklessly towards their targets, and didn't seem to mind being killed in the crossfire, even if it was due to Sergio's bullets, effectively eliminating the trio's advantage. Sure, Sergio thinned the number of bandits they had to deal with by some margin, but every so often (read: always), new bandits jumped from the walls and increased the sum once again. The bandits slowed down Grey and the girls, and that gave Sergio ample time to catch on.

Basically, Grey and the girls are trying their darnest to get the hell away from Sergio, but the bandits aren't letting them do it.

"We need to get onto these walls _now_!" Grey jumps into another corner, following a shaken Alex.

The girls stare at each other momentarily before having to open fire against three more bandits. Alex is already on her last magazine, and though Amber still has three more to go, she's at her wit's end.

"W-we can't move around with that monster following us, even less climb anywhere, nanodesu!" Amber shrieks.

"I noticed that!" Grey snarls sarcastically.

"There's no end to the grunts as well…" Alex sighs.

Grey's beginning to tire of punching and kicking as well. "Shit, we're using it!"

Amber nervously fidgets. "A-Are you talking about my-"

"Yeah, your cannon!" Grey interrupts. "We're blowing off this asshole off the map!"

After a moment of thought, Alex voices her thoughts "How do you intend to accomplish that, Commander? We cannot engage him in a frontal assault, that'd be suicide"

"I know, dammit!" Grey stops for a moment to catch his breath. "Just let me think! Where can you climb up the walls? Is it a specific spot?"

Alex takes a moment to ponder. "Two or three minutes away from here, I can lead the way"

"Exact route?" Grey says, shooting once again.

"Left turn there" Alex says, pointing out to one of the corners with her hand. "Then, three front, one right, one front, and… right I think"

"Damn, that's too far away" Grey responds. "Alright then, listen to me, I'll distract him, you flank him!"

Amber shrieks at this. "W-what are you saying, Commander! Do you intend to stay behind!?"

"We can't outrun that bastard _together_ , and dealing with him directly is suicide" Grey elaborates. "But I know that asshole, he wants _me_ dead, and right now, he's focusing all of his attention in seeing that through. We can take advantage of this: by having his attention fixed on me, you go hide. Get a good position and snipe him from where he isn't looking!"

"If we go, who's going to cover you!?" Amber cries.

"That's why Alex will help me stay alive! You'll do the shooting!" Grey says desperately.

"Commander, I'm strongly against this plan" Alex says. "Are you intending to engage him directly?"

"Amber's the only one who can deal with that freak, We have nothing to even _budge_ him, at least, not me" The Vault Hunter retorts in frustration. "I'll serve as bait and gain some time!"

"Are you out of your mind, Commander!?" Amber barks.

"Do you have any better ideas!?" Grey shrieks. "I'd be happy to hear them!"

"We hold up until the first break occurs!" Amber reasons, throwing her SMG at a bandit. "Then we run!"

"We won't survive that long!" Grey shouts, shooting another closing enemy with the first shot of the Strife. "Didn't you see that asshole with the giant gun, or what!? We can't outrun him, not with all his grunts slowing us down like this! It's not like we can stop them from coming over and over again, can we!?"

"O-of course I know that!" Amber responds indignantly. "But it's still too dangerous!"

"The other option is death altogether!" Grey growls. "We can't go on like this!"

"But why must you risk your life!?" The auburn girl desperately cries.

"It's the option with the best chances of all of us living!"

"No it isn't!"

"WE'RE LOSING TIME HERE, GODDAMNIT!" Grey shouts. "Didn't you see the asshole with the giant gun!? HE'S GETTING CLOSER BY THE SECOND! DIDN'T YOU SEE THE GIANT GUN!? A. GIANT. GUN."

Amber pleads desperately with her gaze at Grey.

"Commander, you almost died 2 weeks ago with your stupid stunt! Why does it seem like you're looking to be killed!?"

"Does it look to you like I want to get killed!?" Grey retorts. "Of course not! I _want_ to live!"

"Then why won't you take care of yourself just a bit more!?"

"Dammit, Amber! Don't you remember what I said!? I hate when people don't take action! And right now, we _need_ to take action!"

"B-but-!"

Grey growls, irritated at the girl's uncooperativeness, scratching the sides of his head furiously.

Amber is washed by a mixture of anger and impotence. She knows that they can't do anything if they go on like this, but on the other hand, she hates the idea of Grey risking himself like that. The auburn girl sinks into her own thoughts, disconnecting herself from reality for an instant, but it's thanks to Alex that she's snapped back.

"Entrust the Commander to me" Alex says. "I'll protect him"

Both girls stare at each other momentarily.

"P-please… please don't die" Amber whispers, fighting down the tears.

* * *

Another second shot, another headshot. Each bandit dies under Grey's powerful shotgun, but the young man's discouraged at the lack of bullets. Loading the first out of the last three pairs of shells, Grey fires again, killing two more bandits. The Strife wasn't a bad weapon by any means, but he preferred far more his own custom Hyperion Practicable Thinking… although the rest of his arsenal would be a godsend too.

"Thanks for the save earlier" He says to the lilac-haired girl who's at his side, who's wielding the Vault Hunter's Repeater in her hands.

The girl doesn't respond.

"To be honest, if it weren't for you, I'm sure I'd have done something stupid" Grey continues. "I mean, Amber's a pain to deal with…"

"Are you always so chatty, Commander?" Alex finally speaks after reloading the handgun. "You didn't strike me as the type"

"Shooting people? Easy. Questing and scoring cash? Time-consuming, but doable" The Vault Hunter responds, dodging another slash from a bandit's axe. "But dealing with people? That's a big bowl of nope"

"…I can't say I don't understand where you're coming from, considering my past week in this city" The girl says.

"Capricho's of the shittiest places around, that's for sure. Potheads, mafia and assholes who want to use, daze and abuse you are in every corner of this hellhole, and that's not counting the _worse_ of this city" Grey says, but he's immediately reminded that this girl has certainly seen this _worse_ that he's talking about. Grey mentally kicks himself, knowing that he's opened a can of worms.

Alex doesn't say anything more, which Grey takes as his cue to shut up, knowing that he's done a major screw up.

_"_ _Good going, Arkham, now 2 girls hate you"_ He kicks himself mentally.

A minute has passed, and the two of them are moving slowly to Amber's hiding position, but they're not holding up too well on this front. Less than ten bullets for his shotgun, no grenades and a bandit's axe that will surely break after one or two hits are the weapons at Grey's disposal, while Alex only has use of her borrowed pistol. The two of them have already killed a number bandits, but the lack of bullets is kicking in.

_"_ _Those who don't move it, will lose it. Perfect"_ Grey remarks for and against himself cynically. The very same words that he had told to Amber he now gave himself, and he didn't like the irony of the situation.

Grey picks the handle of the saw and fiercely slashes a bandit's arm, splatting blood around the concrete corridor, and on his clothes and face. He's also covered in sweat and bruises from the past 8 or so minutes, and he reaffirms that if this first round is any indication of what's in store for him, then he's in for a world of suck. The axe also breaks at that instant as Grey had expected, which he tosses against another bandit with no positive results.

Grey's also winded by the kicking and punching that he's been doing for a while now, and although he isn't completely exhausted yet, he knows that his stamina can only carry him so far. He takes an instant to look at the corridor he just came from, and sees Sergio and the bandits in the distance. Grey stops another incoming bandit attack, and grappling on the bandit's left arm, Grey twists it, causing the bandit to release their weapon, then follows it up by grabbing the bandit's whole arm with both hands; placing his right hand over the bandit's shoulder and holding their wrist with his left, Grey forces the bandit down onto his knee; before the bandit can even take a moment to realize that his body' being mangled against his will, his face meets Grey's left knee, and stumbles backwards uncontrollably, as Grey lowers bit the pressure on the bandit's limb, although doesn't let go of him. After the knee, Grey immediately follows up with a right kick directed yet again to the bandit's facial features, which knocks him out cold with relatively low effort from Grey's part. Without missing a beat, Grey immediately draws the Strife from his back and shoots another bandit.

"THE TENDER MEAT OF YOUR BRAINS WILL GIVE ME **THE** POWEEEEEEEERRRRRR!"

"Shit!" A bandit surprises Grey by tackling him from behind, knocking both of them to the ground. Grey's face barely misses the ground as he breaks his fall with his hands, refusing to fall down completely, and then struggles to get the bandit off him, by elbowing the bandit in his ribs.

However, Grey's surprised to see that the weight of the bandit soon leaves him, and sees through the corner of his vision how the bandit is tossed into the air and away like trash by Alex, producing a hilarious scream out of the top of his lungs.

"Now where's the Wilhelm scream when you need it!?" Grey laughs, which prompts him an unamused look from Alex. "Eh… don't' mind me"

"Will this be enough?" The lilac-haired girl asks, dismissing her Commander as instructed.

Grey turns his head to see how far Sergio is, while still sprayed down on the floor, and becomes horrified when the juggernaut breaks for a run, a menacing and impossible run. Crashing through the bandits who are blown away without care, the gigantic man rushes for the Vault Hunter.

Grey picks himself up groggily, and loads the final two shells into his shotgun, quickly sprinting into the next corner followed by Alex. They've moved three intersections closer to where Amber is, but they're still midway.

The Vault Hunter considers shouting something to drag the enemies' attention, but with the ungodly black metal riff that plays in the air, his voice is drowned. Keeping a conversation with Alex is hard with the girl's impassiveness as it is, and the ambience disruptions aren't exactly forthcoming.

"…I'll save my breath" Grey mutters for himself. He has only two shots now, so he decides to spare them for the last moment. He secures the Strife on the lock behind his shoulder and hides behind the corner of a wall, outside Sergio's range. Thankfully, the corridors are wide and have enough debris to jump into and use as cover, which Grey and Alex have been capitalizing in their maniac attempt to survive. The rubble makes for good cover but also impairs straight passage, both for the bandits, Alex and Grey… although Sergio's simply steam-rolling them (if that's even possible), causing metal and rocks to fly into the air with each of his strides.

Grey runs his right hand through his hair, pulling the locks away from his face back into a more comfortable position where his vision isn't obstructed. The young man's features are revealed with the retirement of his dirty brown mane. Alex notes that this is the first time she's seen her Commander's features clearly. Unknown to the Vault Hunter, Alex hadn't really seen his face, as per the time of their meeting, his hair had come down after his chase in the streets of the city, obscuring his full profile from the lilac-haired girl, and hadn't bothered with it until now. Alex doesn't have much time to inspect her Commander though, as he motions towards her with his hand.

"He'll be here any second now… and we're still not in position…" He points out. "Al, we're speeding things up! Move it!"

"Hai" The girl affirms, and following their previous make-shift strategy, she turns on her heel and runs forward, followed by Grey. They move in a straight line, evading bandits as best as they can; Grey refuses to turn back to see Sergio, his mind racing with the wish of having enough time to reach the place they are supposed to reach. Hopefully, Amber managed to reach her own position without much trouble, and is ready.

Fleeing for dear life, Grey is unable to keep up with Alex, who is much faster than him. The girl then turns a sharp corner once they reach a cross intersection, while Grey keeps running forward. Alex disappears from Grey's vision, but he doesn't stop running. He catches on a group of three bandits dropping from the walls again, which are clearly intent on not letting him through.

"Outta the way!" Grey emphatically shouts without stopping his rush. Once he's a few steps away from the bandits, he jumps, pushing his left side forwards with his elbow extended to the front. Grey crashes with the bandit in the center, who doesn't get the chance to attack him. Grey's elbow shatters the bandit's jaw, and the two of them fall down/crash into the ground. Grey does his best to roll onto the ground and get back up quickly without losing too much speed, and he manages to resume his run after the brief tackle.

And a booming voice pierces his ears, overpowering even the deafening music playing in the arena.

**"** **YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, JOHNSON!"** Sergio's voice comes out as a beastly roar, having overcome the bandits who were running alongside him some instants ago, leaving them all behind.

**"** **OHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT"** Grey shouts to the air in response, adrenaline pumping in his system in a desperate effort to get away from the giant man's grasp.

Sergio is carrying his giant gun with both hands, the large barrel swinging left and right in the air, and his heavy armor rattles with each menacing step that seem more like wide leaps. Sergio closes in on Grey, and pulling the barrel with both hands backwards, the giant man swings his massive bulk of metal for a weapon forward. In the last instant, Grey turns his head a little back to spy the incoming blow, and in that instant, breaks his run and pushes his legs to his front, letting gravity pull the rest of his body down.

Just barely, the Vault Hunter manages to slide under Sergio's gun, barely avoiding being cleaved and broken in half by the immense mini-gun' frame. Both the attack from Sergio and slide from Grey cost them both their movement speed; Sergio has to violently come to a stop using all of his body strength to avoid collapsing under his own weight, while Grey has to stand up again after coming to a complete stop.

Grey immediately turns his attention back to Sergio, who is still trying to steady himself, but will open fire and fill Grey's body with holes anytime now.

Grey is in a bad position. He hasn't reached the planned spot, as he still is in a tight corridor with only two ways out: the front and back. The aforementioned spot is a few meters away from him, and taking just another instant to look at that direction, Grey spots Alex and Amber peeking out from the opposite sides of the T intersection.

"NOW!" Grey shouts at that instant.

At that instant, Amber jumps out of her position, with her box primed and her mount ready to fire. The position is quite optimal to hit the target, and Amber has the opening needed to clear out the juggernaut with one single shot, but…

"Get out of the way, Commander!" She shouts, which Grey promptly responds by jumping down into the floor. "I-it's still not enough, Commander! I may hit you!"

**"** **JUST SHOOT!"** Grey roars.

"B-But…" Amber stutters.

Seeing the auburn girl hesitate, Alex walks to her. The plan had failed, but it had come to this point, and if they didn't take action at this instant, Grey would die. Alex tries to find anything to say, but finds that words escape her.

**"** ** _ESTATE QUIETO, HIJO DE PERRA!_** **"** Sergio screams, finally steadying himself. Grey stares in horror at the juggernaut raising his giant gun. The man was so angry that he wasn't even going to wait and get into firing position, and tries to smash Grey with the mini-gun's butt, which is outfitted with a nasty set of three identical giant razor blades. With an impromptu vertical slash, Sergio drops the rear side of his gun.

"FUCK!" Grey growls, feeling the blades rip the air as he rolls to the right to barely avoid being crushed. "SHOOT NOW! **AMBER!** "

"I DON'T HAVE A CLEAR SHOT!" The girl yells.

**"** **JUST FUCKING SHOOT!"**

Amber heavily gulps down, and closing her eyes, she shoots a round.

A loud bang pierces the air, and Grey finds debris falling over him. He sees how the shell Amber fired flies into the opposite wall of where he had rolled, and upon impact, the wall starts collapsing on itself, making pieces of metal belonging to scrap vehicles and concrete rocks fall upon him and Sergio, who were near the falling pieces. This doesn't pass unnoticed by Sergio, who turns his vision up to see the fragments rain.

One bigger chip of rock forces Sergio to take a step to the side, but is unable to completely evade the falling debris. Dust and smoke rise into the air, then a blood-curling scream booms in the arena.

Grey takes this chance to stand up and take a run for it. He rushes through the smoke, begging for dear life that he's not buried under the rubble.

"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!" He shouts hysterically. "SHOOT HIM!"

The Vault Hunter quickly zooms past the girls, who have taken a step into the corridor. Grey skids on the broken concrete and loses his balance at the end of his break, crashing down into the ground. After taking a deep breath, Grey stands up, dizzy and completely shaken and an aching left leg, but for the most part, uninjured.

Amber was more concerned with her Commander than shooting, though, as Grey finds himself supported by the tiny girl when he gets back on his feet.

"Are you okay, Commander!?" She cries frantically.

"I-I'm okay, I'm okay!" Grey replies in a gruff tone. He's too tall to get any real support from Amber's small height in comparison to him, but he does put a bit of his weight onto her shoulder, as his knees are shaking like jelly. "I-is he dead!? Did you finish him off!?"

"I-I don't know!" Amber retorts nervously. "B-But never mind that, are you sure you're okay, Commander!?"

"I-I am!" Grey spurts painfully, still trying to catch his breath.

"Commander" Alex calls clearly. "Look over there"

Grey and Amber look back at the direction where the collapse had occurred, and find a huge pile of debris piling up near what used to be a solid wall. The dust takes a moment to clear up, and once it does, Grey snorts.

Sergio is leaning against a bunch of debris from the collapse, with cuts and blood pouring from various points across his body. The giant man's left arm is completely buried under metal and rocks, with a metallic rod piercing his shoulder; Sergio tries to steady himself, but his damaged legs don't allow him to move. As powerful as the colossus is, he can't muster any strength to stand up. The mini-gun he was carrying sticks out with broken barrels from under the rubble.

"That was quite a lucky shot…" Grey comments. "We're lucky the shot caused that collapse, but more than that…"

Grey closes his eyes and clenches his teeth, and turns his attention to the auburn girl.

"We're lucky that goddamn collapse didn't kill me" He says venomously, which shames Amber, "But never mind that, we've got another problem now"

The young man doesn't dwell too much in his close call, quickly focusing on the other matter at hand. Grey notices that everyone is panting heavily like himself. Grey can't know for certain the extent of the wounds that Sergio received under the collapse, but seeing the towering man being still alive doesn't ease the Vault Hunter's nerves.

"C-Commander… what do we do now…?" Amber asks, trying to volume her voice enough to be heard over the noisy surroundings.

Grey has a hardened expression on his face.

"Finish it…" He says between pants. "Shoot him…"

"But he's… he's unable to fight anymore" Amber's eyes widen.

"That won't stop him for long…" Grey says painfully, spitting blood from his mouth. He feels a pulsing in his stomach. Letting go of Amber, he pulls his shirt up, and manually removes two small fragments of metal that had pierced his lower torso, one near navel, and another on the back side. Cursing under his breath, the Vault Hunter takes his shirt off and rips it apart, and uses the torn pieces of the cotton shirt as makeshift bandages. He won't bleed out to this, but he hates the feeling of blood permeating his skin. There was no apparent internal damage, thankfully.

Grey then gives Amber a grim look.

"Our best call's to finish him off here" He says.

"B-but he can't fight anymore…" Amber pleads. "C-Can't we let him go?"

"If we don't finish him here… it may come back to bite us down in the ass"

"B-but… l-look at him, Commander! He's unable to fight!"

"Maybe not today, tomorrow or even a month, but I don't want to let loose ends" Grey growls.

"C-Commander…?" Amber asks worriedly,

Grey gives a deep sigh, and then speaks in an uncharacteristic soft tone. "Does it really trouble you to end a life, Amber?"

Amber stands still, biting her lips.

"I don't blame you" He says. "I know the feeling, and I shouldn't be forcing you to participate in any of this. But I am"

"Y-You didn't force me to anything! I came here because I wanted to, nanodesu!" Amber retorts immediately.

"Things aren't going to get any better" Grey pants, rubbing his injuries a little. "This has been what, 10 minutes? And look how we are… we're a mess, no bullets, I'm already injured, and you're at your wits' end… how's your end, Al?"

The quiet girl looks at her Commander and Amber with a blank, emotionless expression.

"Let us finish the job" Alex says coldly.

"B-but-" Amber whines, but is interrupted by the other girl.

"After all the bandits you killed, now you hesitate?" Alex points out in a clinical manner. "That's hypocrisy"

"N-NO! THIS AND THAT ARE DIFFERENT THINGS!" The auburn cries.

"How?" Alex asks.

"They were… but… he- I mean…" Amber stutters between words. "I-I know that I can't just-"

"Stop" Grey's voice rings in the girl's conversation. "Stop…"

The Vault Hunter takes a deep breath and begins walking towards the direction of the panting giant, overcoming his aching left leg. Amber's eyes broaden in fear, and she follows him. Alex silently walks behind them.

"What are you doing, Commander!?" Amber asks distraught.

"Finishing this" Grey pants, reaching for the Strife behind his shoulder. His arms ache a bit at the movement, but he ignores it. "…myself"

The trio walk towards the fallen giant, who has his teeth clenched in a feral manner. Sergio's holding his left shoulder with his right arm, trying to pull out the metal rod embedded on it. The colossus has retired many of the parts of his armor, revealing a black, baggy jumpsuit underneath the plates, and more blood underneath them. Sergio also unstraps the giant box from his back with his only functional hand, which crashes against the ground.

"F-fuck…" Sergio swears, identifying Grey and the girls once they're close enough. "J-Johnson… you _hijo de perra_ …"

Grey doesn't say anything, and steels himself. He walks slowly forward, with a definite, centered pace. Amber doesn't know what to say, while Alex doesn't show any hint of emotion in her own grimace.

Amber becomes horrified when Sergio growls with a beastly roar and pulls himself with inhuman strength. A nasty sound is produced, and Sergio rips his own shoulder apart, full with muscle, skin and bone, and rushes for Grey in his last stand, eyes bloodshot and blood jumping out like a fountain from the bloody hole where his left arm once was, ignoring the overwhelming pain.

Grey's face becomes even colder than that of Alex's. He calmly takes aim and waits just a second to fire the last two shots of the Strife. The first shot doesn't reach Sergio's face, but hits the rest of his body, which is now unprotected by the lack of armor plates. The second squeeze of the trigger comes immediately after the first, and the second shell destroys the target's face completely with the boosted accuracy. The _Gigante_ of Capricho doesn't get anywhere near Grey or the girls, and falls down gracelessly, dead.

Amber's scream drowns the bell that rings announcing the first break.


	9. Invitation of a Crazed Moon

Alex leads the way into the maze, with Grey insisting that they climb into the walls as soon as possible, however, the three of them stop at the deafening howl of a microphone that hasn't been set correctly. The acute chirp makes Grey wince a little and direct his attention back to the announcer who quickly begins yelling excitedly once he's on air.

**"** **HOW IS IT GOING,** ** _CABRONES!?_** **"** The announcer screams, his voice conveying both euphoria and sheer insanity, and is greeted by an equally excited roar of the crowd, which he makes no effort of shrugging off, letting himself be washed by their call.

**"** **THE FIRST SET'S OVER"** He says. **"MANY A' THE PARTICIPANTS KICKED THE BUCKET 'LREADY, BUT THIS SHOW AIN'T OVER YET! THE SECOND ROUND'S ABOUT TO BEGIN!"**

The announcer takes a pause to let the excitement of the crowd grow and run amok. Knowing that his time is coming up soon, he rises his finger up to the air one last time.

**"** **AND I'VE JUST GOT WORD FROM MR. J HIMSELF!"**

This raises many eyebrows in the spectators, who give a collective "Oooh?" that is heard all around the arena.

**"** **MOTHERFUCKERS WHO'RE STILL ALIVE, LISTEN WELL!"** The announcer booms. **"THE RULES HAVE CHANGED!"**

"The fuck!?" Grey curses aloud, but he's shut up immediately. Without need to say, his anger passes noticed by nobody in the least.

**"…** **CAUSE MR. J'S KICKING THINGS UP A NOTCH! MOTHERFUCKERS, BE GRATEFUL! YOU WILL GIVE US THE GREATEST SHOW!"** The announcer makes a pause. **"WE'RE CUTTING THE NIGHT SHORT, BUT DON'T FEAR 'CUZ TONIGHT'S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE WILL BECOME** **LEGENDARY** **!"**

The way the announcer inflected himself at the word 'legendary' immediately puts the young Vault Hunter on his guard, as unpleasant memories immediately come back to him.

**"** **LISTEN UP SCRUBS, FROM NOW ON, YOU LOSERS GET NO MORE BREAKS! N' ALSO…"**

"Hell no!" Grey yelps, visibly alarmed at the declaration, which makes Alex quirk an eyebrow. "He wouldn't dare…!"

**"** **PEOPLE OF CAPRICHO, STAND UP!"** The bandit presses the mic so hard it starts emitting an annoying sound. **"BECAUSE MR, J'S BRINGING US HOMERO! STAND UP FOR HIM!"**

"FUCK ALL THE-" Grey begins to curse, but his voice is drowned under the crowd's excited call.

**"** ** _HOMERO! HOMERO! HOMERO! HOOOMEEEROOOOOOO!"_** They chant vigorously. **"HOMEROOOOOO! HOMEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOO! FUCK YEAH HOMERO!"**

**"** **THIS PARTY'S JUST GETTING STARTED!"**

The announcer then leaves the arena, leaving behind a fired-up audience, a distraught Grey and two confused girls.

"Girls!" Grey blurts out forcefully, startling Alex a little bit. "We are royally fucked!"

"I'm not sure I follow, Commander" The lilac-haired girl gives him a strange look. "Who is this 'Homero' person they speak of?"

"Not a person!" Grey hastily retorts. "I mean- You don't know about-!? The fuck is-!? AAAAAAAAAGHHH!"

Grey starts scratching his head furiously.

"Fuck me sideways" He curses. "If- He wouldn't… but- if this is- ARGH!"

"…what are you going on about, Commander?" Alex says still impassively. "Your rambling is creepy".

"I'm saying that we're screwed!" Grey shrieks in a tone that neither girl had heard before. "We're all as good as dead if we don't get outta here!"

Alex feels the creeping sensation of panic climbing behind her back, seeing the Vault Hunter lose his cool in such manner.

"What are you saying?" She says in an icy tone, taking a menacing step towards Grey.

"That… freak, no- monster…" Grey articulates slowly, carefully looking for the right term, then digs his fingernails into his skull. "That abomination Homero will fucking destroy this whole arena. You think Sergio was bad!? This guy is Sergio taken up to eleven, no- scratch that, make that a fucking thousand! What the fuck, Samuel!? The thing was locked away for a reason! **HE WAS LOCKED AWAY FOR A FUCKING REASON!** " By this point the young man was yelling to the air.

The bell rings at this moment, and even though Alex holds still, Grey begins trembling, but the panic is short lived, as Grey punches himself in the face with his right fist.

"We're getting outta here" Grey says. "Screw all this shit. Fuck you, Samuel, fuck your arenas, fuck your challenges and all your shit, fuck you"

Alex gives him a funny look. "And how do you intend to accomplish that, Commander? We're trapped in this place, the lifts won't come out until the end"

"We won't live to see those lifts" Grey says dejectedly, and takes a deep breath. "So we're fucking blowing our way out"

"I still don't know how we're going to do it" She points out clinically.

"We're using those" Grey simply points up.

The girl turns her head to the sky. This time, many things fall from the heights, and it _really_ is from the actual sky… or air as there is no heaven to speak of inside the arena. From the ceiling of the arena, many trapdoors split open with loud metallic sounds, and from the crevices in them, many bandits in their trustworthy buzzards start dropping one after the other in the air space of the spacious arena.

However, not only metallic vehicles started dropping. Both Alex and Grey also spot strange red lumps among the bandits. The strange red things speed directly downwards and fall into the ground one after the other, briefly creating a red rain inside the arena.

One of these aforementioned lumps falls near Grey and his group.

The Vault Hunter curses again, as the lump grows in size and a pair of insect legs pop out of the sack that contains a lethal creature inside.

"Yeah, fuck you, Samuel" Grey would curse the old man even after he died. He'd curse him for all eternity if necessary.

* * *

"D-do you really know what you're doing, Commander?" Alex shrieks.

"If it makes you feel any better, I have never crashed in these!" The Vault Hunter responds in wicked amusement.

"B-but I thought you said that you've never used one of these before!?" Amber has a hard time speaking as it is due to the high winds that are blowing on her face.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Grey growls, gritting his teeth in an effort to keep the vehicle in control. "Gotta learn this shit fast though!"

Alex tightens her grip on the metallic cage that makes the single cockpit of the flying vehicle, the Buzzard that the three of them are riding. The space is cramped, as both girls and Grey are occupying the cabin at the same time, leaving little room to move… or simply _be_ inside. Alex is sitting in an awkward position on Grey's lap, while the Vault Hunter tries to peek out from the windshield… or lack of thereof. Amber for her part is in the most uncomfortable spot, as she's trying to sit herself on the left side of the seat, but Grey's frame is already occupying the seat, leaving her in the most grievous of places over the console.

Another Varkid jumps towards them.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH! LEFT! LEEEEEEEEEEEEEFT!" Amber shrieks, seeing the vicious fangs of the insect-like monster bared at their direction.

"THIS IS WHY I TOLD YOU TO CLIMB ON THE SIDES!" Grey cries, although he also complies and pushes the stick with a stiff flick to the left. The sudden motion causes the vehicle to jerk violently, and even though they manage to evade the giant creature's leap by just a hair, the move sends the flying machine spinning uncontrollably in the air.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Amber shouts and jumps onto Grey, without realizing that she covers his vision with her arms in her reflexive scare. Grey doesn't have the time to tell her to get off, as his efforts are completely focused on stopping their _spiraling_ problems.

"MAYDAY! **_MAYDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!_** " Grey yanks hysterically at the same time he does his best to stabilize the vehicle by pulling the stick back, but his efforts aren't paying too much fruition as the world keeps spinning around the girls and him (although he's unable to see any of it, making his nausea a lot worse than it needs to be).

And in the middle of their spinning, another Varkid slams into the vehicle, and though it makes contact unlike its predecessor, it is unable to grab ahold due to its target's uncontrollable spinning. The scene seems like if a small pebble had hit a spinning fan, and the Varkid is shot away into the distance. The impact rocks the passengers inside the Buzzard, perturbing their already frail balance into a whole other level of trouble. Alex bends slightly the metallic frame of the cockpit with her hands due to her unusual strength, and Amber tightens her grip around Grey's head even more.

"AMBER! YOU'RE BREAKING MY FUCKING SKUUUUUUUULL!" Grey manages to shout, even with his vision impaired.

Another Varkid slams itself against them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Comes an uncharacteristic scream from Alex, which is followed by another one, courtesy of Amber.

Unknown to the blinded Commander, this last Varkid that had jumped against them was now invading the cockpit. Alex pushes herself against Grey's torso, as the jaw of the oversized insect threatens to rip her head apart. Alex unwillingly observes the nasty green acid ooze from its head, as it prepares to fire its burst at the three of them.

However, it doesn't get to shoot anything.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK!?" Comes Grey's shout.

From her awkward position on top of Grey, Alex kicks the creature once. Thanks to her incredible strength, the Varkid is completely stunned by the hit to its brain but doesn't fall, as its legs are firmly locked onto the buzzard, but Alex doesn't let it retaliate. Fueled by fear and hysteria, she gives a series of repeated kicks to the poor creature's face or resulting lack of thereof with the plant of her right foot.

**"** **WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE GOIIIIIIIIIIIING!?"** Grey yelps ungainly. **"I CAN'T SEE SHIT!"**

"UP, COMMANDER! GO UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!" Amber shrieks.

Doing as told, Grey pulls the lever backwards to the best of his abilities, as Alex doesn't let him do much. He has no eyes, his skull is being crushed, and he has a goddamn swarm of Varkids trying to kill him.

For some reason or another, alongside the Buzzards and armed bandits that Samuel had the decency to deploy, for some reason the crippled old man had thought it'd be fun to mix some imported Varkids into the mix.

For some reason, it wasn't amusing for Grey.

Now he only didn't have to deal with the threat of 'Homero', he had to watch out from other Buzzards, as the bandits soon realized he had hijacked one of their vehicles, due to their continuous shots that came from the ground or the occasional psycho that threw shit at him from the ground, he also had to deal with the continuously-evolving insectoid creatures.

When he had his first chance, Grey immediately jumped onto one of the Buzzards that came close to earth to land his two marauders. Like a feral beast, the Vault Hunter jumped onto the cockpit of the first pilot that was stupid enough to fly too close, and using his bare hands, grabbed him by the collar, and threw him out of the vehicle. Grey and the girls' current sitting positions had come down like this due to the females' reluctance to climb onto the lateral ledges of the vehicle and hold onto them. No matter how one looked at it, Buzzards were meant to hold only _one_ person in the cockpit, yet these girls had completely refused to board the vehicle when Grey told them to hold onto the sides of the Buzzard, with the situation ending up with them _somehow_ inside the cockpit with him, resulting in their current _fitting_ problem.

This was a disaster.

Grey hears the alarm of the Buzzard going off, but he's unable to see what is causing so. It could be anything, from a gas leak due to the shooting from other bandits, that a turbine is damaged, that the president's come, that someone's stole his bike or anything worse. He doesn't even know where he's going. Alex is the only one who has any vision, even though she was scared and creeped out by the nasty creatures that had joined the fray. The airspace of the arena was also in chaos, as Varkids flew alongside, around and into other Buzzards.

The warzone was hectic not only for Grey and the girls though, as the bandits also had to deal with the Varkids. Perhaps Samuel thought amusing to let everything out like he had done. Not that either the spectators or the bandits participating minded, as fried Varkid is quite the delicacy. Many would have a feast for dinner tonight, provided they survive (spectators included, both for the feast and surviving part).

"Where the fuck are we going!? AND GET OFF ME ALREADY, DAMMIT!" Grey shrieks, and inadvertently presses and holds on to the trigger in the Buzzard's stick, causing the vehicle's guns to start firing. The unexpected and nearby sound of gunshots makes Amber scream, as she holds onto her not-actually-but-maybe-close-enough-lifeline (Grey) with even greater force at the same time she starts screaming in complete hysteria, who doesn't realize the gunshots are coming _from_ them and not _for_ them due to her keeping her eyes closed, and soon her hysteria is transferred onto Alex, who also begins squealing without any real reason to do so. The dual banshee shrieks stun Grey, who has already lost his cool long ago.

The original objective of getting onto a Buzzard had been to ride it to the fence and blow it open, how would they accomplish it they didn't think of, but in the end it turned out to be an impossible task, all thanks to his female, shorter and hysteric companions who went apeshit at the appearance of the insectoid creatures which menaced with eating them.

"AAAAAAAHH!" The vehicle tumbles even worse this time, as three Varkids slam against them. None of the beasts land near the cockpit yet, but their threatening creaking makes the girls inside increase their already intense scream to a whole new level, which even a bandit may have found heart-breaking, if not completely inhuman.

"Do we have any on us!? WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Grey tries to get anything out of his other senses and the girls, but his efforts are fruitless as the only response he gets is the prolongation of the girls' screams.

Grey doesn't get to see what comes next, and Alex doesn't inform him that they're going straight into another Buzzard which is also infested with Varkids. The bandits riding the other vehicle are struggling and firing in all directions as they try to get the monsters off. A series of shots from a bandit riding one of the sides of the vehicle hit Grey's Buzzard, but before the Vault Hunter can realize what's going on, he is violently shaken inside the vehicle at the impact with the other vehicle. Each Buzzard crashes against each other with their left sides, and the sound of metal scratching against each other along with hot sparks of iron fill the air of the arena. Alex tightens her grip on the cockpit so much that the metal rods cave in and bend where her fingers are digging in, while Amber is flung first back onto the rear wall of the vehicle, hitting her right shoulder and skull against the metallic surface, and physics send her flying to the opposite side and onto Alex. Grey remains in place to the belts, thankfully, and when Amber is rocked back and forth, she inadvertently lets go of the Vault Hunter, who is momentarily blinded by the sudden light that invades his vision.

Grey doesn't get to see much of the following events. The next thing that he knows, his left arm is burning, and everything is spinning everywhere. Even with minimal control of the vehicle, Grey refuses to let go of it and pulls back the stick, however, his efforts are useless.

Grey ricochets from the other Buzzard and is sent straight into a wall of the maze below them. Altitude is lost with every second, and the speed doesn't decrease, and once again, Grey and both girls crash, this time into the wall. The sound of metal screeching drowns all other sounds, and bursts Grey's ears until he can't hear anything more. Instead of crashing completely and coming to a total stop, the angle at which the Buzzard meets the wall has its right side skid against the uneven wall of rock and metal.

Still unrelenting, Grey cocks the stick to the left. The Buzzard jerks violently, but for the most part responds to Grey's command and separates from the wall. Grey hears the sound of metal being ripped apart, and out of the corner of his vision manages to catch that there is now a giant hole on the Buzzard's right side.

"…Shit" Grey curses. His ears don't catch sound any longer, and instead, only a loud beep washes his senses. He still doesn't realize that the previous screeching had deafened him, and that his sense of balance is impaired because of it. The Vault Hunter then turns his vision to the front, and sees the terrified grimaces of Amber and Alex.

Alex is holding onto Amber with her right hand, while her left one is secured to the remains of the cockpit; Amber is outside the vehicle and barely holding onto the edge, she has one hand on a damaged grid of metal in the front of the Buzzard with the other at the edge of the windshield, while Alex struggles to pull her inside by grabbing onto the auburn girl's wrists. Amber's legs hang freely without any form of support or footing into the air for her part, and she loses her grip on the edge, making the grid her only point of anchor. Alex's hand slips and she also loses hold of Amber.

Grey doesn't think twice and tries to reach out for Alex, but finds that he's unable to do so for a reason unknown to him, which actually was the distortion to his balance byproduct of the screeching. He doesn't realize that there is blood dripping from his right ear, but does feel an ungodly pain coming from it, pain which he ignores and struggles through it with impaired coordination. Grey stretches his left arm to a direction that is unfamiliar to him and reaches out for Alex. His hand wobbles and misses her the first, second and third times, but by the fourth, he just about manages to take ahold of the tiny girl's gearbox, and gripping his left hand onto her while his right is secured to the stick, he pulls both towards his body to the best of his current abilities.

The tug is successful, and he manages to pull Alex towards him, but unknown to him, he didn't pull the other girl along.

**"** **COMMANDEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!"**

A scream that doesn't reach Grey's ears is produced, and Amber falls from the vehicle, as the grid which she held onto breaks free and detaches from the rest of the vehicle, the bolts securing it in place shot into the air due to the bending of the surface and pressure resulting from her grip on it. The auburn girl plummets down helplessly, gravity viciously pulling her into the ground. She crashes twice against the uneven wall of rock, eventually landing on the bodywork of a large van near the ground level, with the deteriorated and somewhat rusted metal bending down with an unpleasant crack as her body impacts onto it.

Back in the vehicle, Grey is unable to say anything at first, as he finds that everything is spinning to him. Alex is shouting, and he knows that she's trying to talk to him, but the words do not reach him, as there's only the ringing in his ears.

It is then that the damaged Buzzard finally reaches the ground. With a sound Grey can't hear, the vehicle crashes.

* * *

The first thing Alex makes out is flames. The blue-eyed girl looks around, and realizes that she's lying down on a hard surface, and her first lucid thought goes back to what just happened. She eventually recalls the monsters, the bandits, the Buzzard, and the crashing. The girl bends her arms and uses her palms to incorporate from the ground, and looks into the airspace of the arena.

Chaos reigns the air, as swarms of monstrous Varkids fly in all directions while crashing against other bandit vehicles. Some of the insectoids fall from the sky every so often, pierced by bullets, while others land on the ground and walls to cover themselves in an icky red cocoon, only to emerge as larger, freakier and stronger versions of themselves and join their brethren again.

"Hnng... Fuck it all" A voice reaches Alex's ears. She tilts her head to the direction she heard the voice, and finds Grey still in the seat of the Buzzard they just crashed. He seems uninjured for the most part, as he managed to avoid being cracked open like an egg thanks to the security belt which holds him in place, but he did get a mild concussion in his head, and a scorched left arm, shoulder and part of his face due to the hot sparks that showered him in the previous wall-grinding before the landing. The Vault Hunter is thankfully conscious, if only seconds away from passing out.

Alex weakly stands up to reach out for her Commander, but as soon as she finds herself on her feet she tumbles unsteadily as the world spins around her. Wordlessly looking into the greatest source of pain, Alex soon realizes that her right arm burns like a molten lava rock when she tries to even budge it. Her waist and legs hurts too, and even though she can move herself, even the tiniest movement overloads her senses.

Pain.

"A-agh…"

Searing pain.

Alex doesn't say a word, but ignores the pain with all her might and drags herself towards Grey, whose seat is hanging in an awkward angle.

"D-damn…" Grey growls, seemingly unaware of the girl's presence.

Grey opens his eyes groggily and tries to focus. He feels that his whole existence weights millions of tons: his arms, his legs, his neck, his ears, his soul, his hair. Everything. Hurts.

"Commander…?" Grey hears the soft voice of Alex reach his ears, but it feels really far away. Struggling against the agony and sleepiness, Grey fights against his mangled body and forces his consciousness to come back with little success. The Vault Hunter can barely make out a tiny figure moving towards him, and soon after, Alex's climbed onto the destroyed cockpit of the Buzzard. She tries to free Grey from his position only with her left hand, and after inspecting the seat closer, she clicks onto the belt's link.

The broken seat surrenders Grey to her, and the taller man falls limply onto the girl's arms.

He doesn't know how long the process takes, but he eventually manages to push away the blur of his vision enough to see the injured Alex clearly enough, eventually making out her face.

"F-fuck…" Grey curses. "A-Alex… what…?"

"You're alive…" Alex says, her voice as thin as a strand. "You're alive…"

Grey then realizes that for some reason, her face is upside down. He tries to incorporate, but as soon as he tries to move an inch, he realizes that he can't muster any strength. He can hardly move his fingers, let alone keep his consciousness awake, but he gives his all to try and budge any of his major limbs.

Alex isn't too injured outside of her right arm, which was dislocated from the elbow down but not broken, mainly thanks to Grey taking ahold of her and shielding her with his own body moments before crashing, but most of it was due to her increased resistance as a Ship Girl. Something like this wouldn't be enough to give her critical damage.

Grey steadies his breath as the minutes pass, and he's eventually able to restore the rest of his body's functions little by little. He then realizes that his head is resting against Alex's lap, which explains why he's seeing her upside down.

Grey feels fuzzy, with a sensation of vertigo revolting his stomach inside out. He reaches out with his right arm to his burned, bare left one, and grunts at the sensation of smoked flesh.

"What are you…?" Alex's eyes widen in alarm, but Grey doesn't listen to her.

His vision has returned, and in an effort to steady himself, he fiercely digs his fingernails into his unevenly burned arm. The resulting pain immediately wakes his conscience, and Grey discards all remaining drowsiness from his system through an agonizing scream.

**"** **What are you doing!?"** Alex cries, immediately pulling Grey's hand away. The young man refuses to let go even then, but Alex does manage to budge him after some seconds with her single functioning hand.

Grey eventually catches his breath and becomes fully conscious, ungainly standing up from the ground with some difficulty. As soon as he's back on his feet, his vision becomes warped and he feels nauseous. It's then that he realizes that there is a really annoying ringing in his ears along with a god-forsaken headache, and that he can barely catch any other sounds.

He feels a small tug at his waist, and he turns back to see Alex holding onto the belt at his pants, as his chest is exposed and has no clothes but for the dirty bandages around his stomach that he had made out of his shirt earlier.

"Where's… Amber…?" Grey asks weakly, barely making out his own voice.

"…I'm not sure" She responds honestly. Grey can see her lips move, but he can't hear her. The Vault Hunter then takes hold of his head with his right hand, fighting against the nausea that tries to take him down.

"She fell out of the cockpit, and even though I tried to drag her back, I couldn't, and she eventually… fell…" Alex elaborates, but all this is unheard by Grey.

"Dammit…" The young man curses, his voice still not reaching his ears.

Alex then tugs slightly harder at him.

"W-what are we… what are we going to do now, Commander?" She asks in an uncharacteristic meek tone.

But she doesn't get any answer, as a sound invades her ears. The sound is an annoying creaking or some sort of screech, which makes her cringe. She recognizes the sound as that of the Varkids that they've been dealing with for the last minutes, but there is something clearly different about it this time. Even Grey manages to catch the sound that had stunned the girl beside him, and turns his head up to the air.

All Varkids have started creaking together in a strenuous cacophony, and they have also started ignoring their preys, instead flying to another area altogether. Unknown to Alex and Grey, the creatures have started swarming in the center of the arena.

"What is going on...?" Alex asks to the air, and receives no answer.

The screeching soon becomes bearable and distant, but it never _disappears_.

For some time, Grey stares vacantly into the air, as he has a creeping sensation that time's over. Alex mimics Grey, following his gaze up to the giant screens on the arena's ceiling.

A loud, metallic bang pierces the air of the arena, and everything goes silent. Everybody, including the spectators, go completely mute. The Buzzards stop still, only leaving only the soft sound of their running motors to accompany their heartbeats. In the corners and corridors of the maze, both participants and bandits stop all they're doing and focus their attention onto the congregation of Varkids that swarm in the center of the arena.

A mechanical wheeze is heard, as the ground in the middle of the dome splits open, and two circular halves begin sliding sideways to reveal another set of two identical trapdoors below that also begin sliding open. The screeching of the Varkids soon disappears as well as they crawl into the hole that just opened in the earth, followed by various pieces of debris that also fall into the hole.

From the depths of the already subterranean arena, the earth shakes. The quake is great enough to cause the ground to shake. And then, it all becomes silent once again.

Grey feels his heartbeat ring in his ears, as it's the only thing he can even feel at the moment. At his side, Alex begins quivering for a reason she can't understand, for raw dread fills her very existence at this moment. She feels an immense pressure in her chest, but she can't fathom to stop looking at the screen. She can't even _think_ of breaking her gaze away from the screen, as everything about her freezes, even forgetting her injuries.

The silence seems like it would crush her, and the quiet seconds seem to stretch into an eternity.

But that silence disappears too. At first she doesn't trust her ears, but Alex eventually makes out the by now familiar screeching of Varkids. And not only is the screeching back, it feels a lot more lively, _excited_ for some reason if it's even possible for such creature to convey that kind feeling, but Alex could _feel_ that there was something different about the insectoids now.

Time seems to stop dead cold when _something_ comes out of the hole. The lilac-haired girl doesn't have to look into the screens to see it, as it is so huge that she can see it from her position within the maze. It's long, it has a nasty dark color… it's _hairy_ , it's menacing, it's threatening.

It's _enormous_.

A long, insectoid leg stretches up, and soon enough reaches for the panels in the center of the arena. The screens blow up in a blast of bright sparks that rain to the ground, and after becoming still for a second, the thick leg bends and reaches for the ground while a second, identical one also makes itself known. The frame that held up the screens falls down with a strenuous sound, and from the depths of the crater in the center of the room, hundreds of Varkids fly out in a swirling pattern. Then a new screeching joins their chorus, this one much more grave and intense than the rest.

Alex watches horrified how an impossibly big Varkid rises above everything in the arena. Walls crumble and Buzzards are downed just by the colossal beast's movements, as it lazily and inadvertently destroys everything in its way as it climbs out of the crater. Soon, after the creature is out, the speakers around the arena buzz with static, and the voice of the announcer communicates with the participants.

**"** **HOMERO IS HERE! GAME OVER, MOTHERFUCKERS!"** The disembodied voice shouts passionately, followed suit by the excited roar of the crowd, which makes the ambient noise even more unbearable than it already is.

The Varkid (if it could even be called that at this point) that came out of the crater is one very special creature. It was pretty well known that Varkids were capable of "evolving" or "growing up" in a matter of seconds, and a few of them managed to become specially powerful. The breeding of the insectoid creatures, which originally came from Pandora had become somewhat of a hobby of Samuel's family for about a long time now, and thanks to it, Samuel could sparsely create colossal Varkids every once in a while. Homero was his latest creation: Bigger, stronger, and more vicious than any other breed of Varkid to have ever stepped in Chariot. The only thing that the ridiculous bug couldn't do was fly due to its massive weight, but it didn't need so as it was strong enough to reach and destroy about anything that came its way. No one knew how Samuel managed to keep such a creature alive, but none got or had to think deeply about it. With about 70 or so meters of height, legs that could crush anything it stepped on, its acid spit that could melt just about anything organic, and its natural commandment over smaller Varkids, this inglorious monster was Samuel's ultimate pet.

Surely, the old crook is laughing maniacally at his seat somewhere on the arena. If Grey had full use of his mental faculties and weren't so perturbed, he'd have wished for Samuel to choke on his own laugh and die the most agonizing death possible.

"Wow, what's with this post-game boss?" A voice then says leisurely, taking Alex out of her trance. "I don't think we're supposed to fight something like this yet"

Turning back to the voice, Alex finds a man with a bright mane of a curious reddish-brown color which curls up on his face who is quite shorter than Grey, with an approximate height of 1.55 meters or so. His eyes are hidden under a pair of sunglasses of a solid silver color, and his lips show a relaxed smile; he's outfitted with a dark trench coat with various belts around his chest area over a formal shirt, full black gloves and a pair of baggy pants on his legs, and upon closer inspection, she realizes that his feet are bare and that they aren't actually feet at all, or at least, not human feet, as they have a beastly form with sharp nails on each toe and have an odd greyish metallic coloration to them. This person is smiling brightly and has his head turned to the giant creature that just crawled out of the hole, but Alex can't know where he is actually looking due to the sunshades over his face.

Next to him is a young woman with a sour mug who can't much older than her. She's wearing clothes that strangely resemble Amber's, only that this girl is wearing a white one-piece dress of sorts very similar to Amber's complete with the same type accents, only that they were dark blue instead of gray, and a red tie. She's also wearing full black pantyhose and fingerless gloves. Her eyes are a fierce red with an orange hue over a delicate face, with locks of a beautiful shade of blueish silver, a long and flowing mane of straight hair for the most part with blunt bangs on her forehead and red laces holding the also blunt locks over her ears. Alex catches onto the rest of her features soon enough, and sees two strange metallic pieces floating around her head, however, she doesn't pay too much mind to the girl herself, as she catches more onto three important things before anything else.

First, the girl is carrying a curious polearm on her right hand in a threatening manner. Second, the girl has a metallic box strapped to her back which is hauntingly familiar to Alex, and third…

"A-Amber…?" She stutters.

The girl gives a dirty look to the shorter lilac-haired girl, not budging her grip onto the unconscious Amber who is being carried over her left shoulder with what seems to be minimal effort. The girl is visibly on guard at Alex and Grey's presence, but doesn't say a word, as she appears to be following around her acquaintance more than anything else.

"Hey" The red-haired man says, trying to get his companion's attention, but is purposefully ignored. "Heeeeeeey, Oz to Quinn! What, are you ignoring me again?"

Alex remains frozen in place, unsure of what to do at the situation. She eventually decides to consult with the entranced Grey, who has never stopped looking at Homero.

"Hmm?" The red-haired man raises an eyebrow, at the same time he places his hands over his eyes as if they were binoculars, inclining his torso forwards as if trying to focus on the colossal Varkid in the distance. "Wow, those guys must be having fun… ow… that must hurt…"

He continues making remarks and commentaries that no one really gets around understanding or really pay attention to, but he's soon smacked with the silver-haired girl's pole in the head.

"Stop being creepy, useless Admiral" She says sternly. The strange man only rubs the top of his head absent-mindedly with his right palm, which he then proceeds to examine, and then shrugs, seemingly uncaring at the lack of _something_ or _anything_ in his palm.

"Why is that you never respond when I talk to you? I mean, do you always have to hit me?" He says cheerfully.

"I'll talk to you only when it's needed, not when you want to, you useless Admiral" The girl scoffs.

"Oh well" He responds, shrugging again. The unknown man then finally turns to face Alex, who he had apparently ignored all this time. "Hey there. You participating in this game, too?"

Alex fidgets and tugs at Grey, who gives her his attention momentarily. Grey finds that Alex is prompting him to look in another direction, and following suit, he sees the strange pair of the man and woman. Grey soon enough identifies the unconscious girl over the unidentified girl's shoulder.

"Amber…" He says lowly. By now, the ringing has somewhat subsided, even though he still feels a little fuzzy and has a low whistle blowing in his ears.

Neither man say anything, as Grey glares with distrusting eyes at the unidentified man, who doesn't really show his face, although his lips are curved up into a serene smile. Grey takes a moment to scrutinize the two strangers, trying to understand the situation he had gotten himself into. The Vault Hunter identifies the unknown girl as a Ship Girl only due to the strange box at her back, and wonders to his insides what the deal is with the pointy things that are floating around her head.

"Hey, you guys are from the lift back then, aren't you?" The red-haired man says in a jolly tone, then he points out to the Amber "I mean, wasn't this girl with you?"

"…Yeah, she's with me" Grey deadpans.

"Right, right" The other responds. "I thought as much, I mean, there ain't many girls like her around these places"

"…Who are you?" Grey asks, cracking the bones of his right hand only by stretching and bending his fingers, ready to take hold of the Strife behind his shoulder at any moment's notice.

"I think they call me Oswald Baltimore, or Joker… I don't remember anymore, although I just prefer Oz" He says with a sunny voice.

"Yeah, and I'm the fucking president of Hyperion" Grey snorts venomously, drawing his empty Shotgun at that instant. Even if he has no rounds anymore, there is no way that these people know. "Who the fuck are you?"

The girl besides the red-haired man takes a step forward and primes her equipment, and soon enough, a gun mount identical to Amber's is primed and ready to fire against Grey. Alex's eyes widen in nasty surprise as the silver-haired girl takes aim against her Commander.

At the prospect of her Commander's life being in danger, Alex instinctively primes her empty equipment. The tiny girl jumps between Grey and the other two, her aim set for the other Ship Girl. A chain reaction begins, and in the very instant Alex's aim is set for the silver-haired girl, the red-head produces two mismatched Vladof TMPs of slag and acid from somewhere inside his coat and aim both guns at the lilac-haired girl. Grey immediately realizes this and readjusts his sights for the redhead, which makes the silver-haired girl aim for him again, only for Alex switch aim again for the other girl, which in return causes the redhead to take aim at her, and Grey to aim back at the unknown man, and so on and on, turning this into an endless cycle.

Eventually, the four of them (plus the unconscious Amber) come to a stop in which no one really has aim for anyone in particular except outside of being from the opposing side.

"Wow, this feels like a cowboy movie!" The redhead says excitedly, but then adds after a moment of awkward silence. "…Only that we've got no actual revolvers. Damn, I knew I should've taken those Widow Makers with me this morning"

"Lower your weapons" The silver-haired girl orders.

"You first" Grey growls back.

"Why the hell should we do so?" She retorts.

"Stop aiming for my Commander" Alex says coldly.

"Then you stop aiming at my stupid Admiral" The taller girl states.

"Don't you dare to even _think_ about touching them" Grey snarls, referring both of his Ship Girls.

"Hey, hey, then don't aim for my girl, too" The redhead says. "Besides, are you sure we should be doing all this? I mean, isn't Homero pretty much going to murder our asses now?"

"It's not over 'til it's over" Grey deadpans, although his voice is quivering a little. "Give Amber back and scram".

"Hey, hey, what right do you have to be claiming this smurf like that?" The redhead questions in an amused tone. "You her boyfriend or something?"

"That's none of your business" Grey states in a no-nonsense tone.

"Aren't you a serious one? You must be real fun at parties"

"Give her back. She's my responsibility" Grey finally cedes a little.

"Well then, Mr. Responsible, how come she's with _me_ and not with _you_ , if that's the case?" The other one asks cynically.

"…Shit happened" Grey says simply after a moment of thought.

No one says anything else. Alex has a monstrous glare on her eyes, which is matched by Grey's own fearsome mien. The silver haired girl is nonplussed by the threats, and the redhead becomes unreadable for the following seconds in which both couples keep their weapons aimed against the opposition, all semblance of his previous amiability disappearing from his face.

They are interrupted by the screeching of Homero, as it produces a great creaking that shakes everyone in the arena and excites the Varkids to resume their hunt. Grey spies out of the corner of his vision a number of the insects coming to their direction, and they soon surround them. The creatures creak menacingly at the five people on the ground, forming a circle around them and walking slowly towards their prey. All of the conscious people get back-to-back into a diamond formation, aiming their weapons at the Varkids surrounding them.

"Well, ain't this lovely?" The redhead laughs. "We got ourselves a free ticket to a Varkid rave!"

"And what are we going to do with that giant monster, stupid Admiral?" The flame-eyed girl snorts with a sigh filled with irritation. "You said we can't beat that thing".

"That's right" The other simply agrees. "So that's why we're hailing ass outta here"

This catches Grey's attention.

"You're not going anywhere with Amber" He says.

"I wasn't really planning to… but now that it's come to this, how about you give me a hand, Mr. Responsible?" The redhead says calmly.

"Don't go giving me weird nicknames, you impostor" Grey scoffs. "Hand over Amber, now".

"Hmmm… how about no?" The redhead laughs.

"How about you stop being stupid and do something productive for once, stupid Admiral?" The silver-haired girl speaks harshly.

"Right there, ride on, sweetheart" The redhead smirks. "Hey, Mr. Responsible. How about you scratch my back, and I scratch yours?"

"How about no?" Grey responds icily.

"How about I take your girlfriend somewhere nice?"

"How about I punch you in the face?"

"How about-"

"How about you both shut up" The silver-haired girl interrupts with a stern voice.

"Ow, Quinn. You hurt my feelings" The redhead says in mock hurt. "But I guess I'll do your way for once. Hey, dude, we could really use some help now. I mean, we're pretty much on the same boat".

"I don't like you, but I like the assholes running this place even less" Grey elaborates after a while. He takes a moment to look at Alex besides him. The girl remains silent, and doesn't even acknowledge him.

However, he's run out of options.

"If you do anything funny to Amber…" He begins.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I won't touch your girlfriend" The other male responds coolly.

"She's not my girlfriend, you asshole" Grey shoots back.

One Badass Varkid from the group leaps onto the group with its fangs bared viciously at Grey, but the insect is blasted away by a shot from the silver-haired girl's cannon. The sudden change in the status quo prompts the rest of the Varkids to begin their onslaught.

_"_ _I hate this town so freaking much…"_ Is Grey's last thought before being thrown into battle yet again with a mangled body and no more bullets.


	10. Mass Destruction

"Humans have a troublesome nature, as they like to meddle with everything around them. Perhaps it is because in a way, they are of the frailest creatures, or at least they are in their earliest stages of infancy, think about it, no other creature is as harmless and incapable at that stage in their life, they always have something going for them, be it an unique characteristic or the capacity to grow quickly, it's one of the reasons that almost all creatures live shorter lifespans compared to humans. As humans evolved, they learned to adapt their environment to their needs, and not the other way around like any other creature. Perhaps this is what differentiates humans from animals? The concept of consciousness is evasive even to this day, with more than 5000 years of evolution. If one were to look at the records before space travelling became possible, humans haven't changed that much ever since that time…

Philosophy is a curious thing, too. Humans invented philosophy both as a way to understand themselves, but also to justify themselves. Most of the first philosophers went as far as accepting the practice of slavery, and all of them didn't even consider their female members even 'human', as they were just pretty pieces of decoration and the only method for offspring to come by; they didn't think, they weren't transcendent. History has shown that even after all this time, even with the regression that came with the scattering through the cosmos, humans are still, fundamentally, social creatures looking for their raison d'etre, only that they are so incredibly _selfish_ , arrogant and stupid that they will never learn, what's more, in the last decades, plenty have shown just how outright _ugly_ they can be. Why, you ask? Simple, just look at how many species have been exterminated by human hands, how many planets are long gone from their orbits, reduced to dust; yeah, there haven't been _that_ many, but think about how many of those disappeared due to humans placing their dirty little finger on them. And humans _still_ do not learn… It's simple, of course, that it causes one to wonder what to think of that, what to reflect or learn of that, when everything is said and done, doesn't it?"

"And what the fuck are you trying to say with this senseless monologue!?"

"That there is only one thing I know right now…"

No response.

Grey gives a long leap to his left, and the Varkid that jumped towards him misses its objective.

Alex punches an adult Varkid on its side with her left hand. Her hit pierces the Varkid's body, and with a scream she silences before it leaves her mouth, she pulls her hand back, which results covered from the forearm to the palm in icky Varkid intestines.

The silver-haired girl, Quinn, pierces one of the red cocoons repeatedly with her polearm. The evolving Varkid inside lets out an agonizing screech that extinguishes along with its life. The sack eventually explodes, staining Quinn's face and clothes with a green substance.

Grey kicks another Varkid. Since it is smaller than its peeves, being that it is in its earliest, infant stages, the kick breaks its exoskeleton and joints of its legs. Grey takes a breather and recovers his footing slowly, and as soon as the baby Varkid starts surrounding itself in a strange tissue, Grey stomps on its frame, killing it in that instant.

"Goddamnit…" Grey curses, readjusting Amber's position, who's being carried over his back.

An explosion then blasts _real_ near his feet. He reflexively jumps to the right, and his foot meets the corpse of an adult Varkid. Grey barely avoids tripping with desperate hops, and immediately turns at the only person who could've shot in his direction.

"Hey, what's the fucking deal!?" The young man snarls, but is completely ignored by the silver-haired Quinn, who continues fighting to the best of her abilities. Amber is no longer with her, as she has discarded the unconscious shorty some minutes ago, as carrying her over the shoulder had proved too disruptive for her combat. Grey had had a hard time convincing the Ship Girl to hand Amber over to him, but in the end, the necessity to fight to her full capabilities had made her surrender the unconscious girl to him. It is at that moment that Grey realizes that in front of him lies a Super Badass Varkid, or what remains of it; his mind stumbles a bit at that, as he realizes that the other Ship Girl had saved him.

Now that Grey has Amber with him, he has another thing worrying him altogether: Getting away from this place, for Homero will at some point, come in this direction. The remaining participants and a lot of Samuel's men were dying one after the other under the mutated Varkid, and Grey wasn't particularly keen on the idea of confronting the creature.

"That's class, man, ignoring me like this"

Alex joins her Commander once again, as all of them are disarmed. The two of them stand back-to-back, observing the situation with critical eyes.

The makeshift rag-team of Grey and company have broken their way through the swarms of Varkids that have relentlessly attacked them for a while now, running through the complicated corridors and walls of a maze that is collapsing around them.

And Grey has to wonder, why in the seven heavens are there bandits _still_ trying to kill him at this point, when Varkids are a threat to everything, including them. If he had to find one good thing about his current situation, is that the insane amount of human corpses had restocked his ammo reserves, and he was back on the game. He wouldn't dare nor really could fight Varkids with melee, except when it came to bursting their cocoons. However, he wasn't really suited for fighting at this moment, as he was preoccupied with keeping Amber safe. Grey was really worried about her, too, since her pulse was very weak, and blood covered her face and clothes.

But Grey does have to hand it to one person. Alex has been on an impressive role of protecting both him and Amber, even with a useless left arm.

"Next!" Alex calls, and Grey doesn't have to think twice.

With his ammo restocked, and lots of weapons to pick from the corpses, Grey has taken a supporting role in the rear guard. Alex has been picking weapons from the various human dead that are in no way scarce around the arena, and with Grey's quick wits and experience with the weaponry, she doesn't have to worry except firing until her guns are empty. With her instincts honed for the past week, Alex only has to take any weapon that Grey tosses her and eliminate any threat that comes her way. She's found that Varkids are better left to the other Ship Girl, as she seems to be better suited to confront them with her polearm, as it's the most effective weapon against the cocoons _and_ her cannon for those who manage to evolve.

Grey places his foot under a gun and kicks it up, which he catches with his only free, right hand (as the left one holds Amber behind his back by her thigs and bottom). Identifying the weapon as a common burning Maliwan Gospel with a bayonet to the front, Grey tosses the weapon to the lilac-haired Ship Girl, which she accepts wordlessly and begins firing against her aggressors.

"To your left!" Grey indicates, and Alex swiftly moves her aim as instructed, making a psycho burn to ashes with the elemental rounds of her latest weapon.

"Anything for this handsome redhead!? I'm not holding up too well here!"

Grey has to admit, Alex _definitely_ knows what she's doing. Her aptitude for almost all weapons is great. Sure, she still has some trouble with the bigger guns like shotguns and rifles, and Grey's sure that she hasn't even touched a Rocket Launcher yet, but all of this is more due to her small build than willingness. He's been consciously trying to give her the smaller arms ever since she showed evident hardship at the previous Jakobs Assault Rifle he gave her some time ago. It was funny seeing her try and hold the large caliber gun with her short arms. While she still tried (and also had some results) to use any weapon that her Commander gave her, Alex was simply better suited for smaller weapons. Besides that, she had nice aim. But Grey also noted that Alex couldn't really dare and fight whenever enemies got too close, especially Varkids. She didn't outright _freeze_ , and didn't stop every time, but every so often, Alex would hesitate a little bit when a bandit came too close, and made it evident that she preferred disposing of enemies that were far away from her.

But still, Grey would readily admit that he's impressed by the small girl if asked. With just a little bit more training and experience, she could surely become a great gunner, equal if not greater than himself. The way she carried herself when she focused was amazing, but that concentration still wavered every so often.

Grey had to remind himself that he was looking at a _little girl_ fight not only for her life, but to protect him as well. A girl who only had use of _one_ arm, to top it. Granted, this girl could probably split him in two if she really wanted, but right now, Grey only had room for a little incredulity, attention to his surroundings, Amber, and sarcasm (of course) in his mind.

In the end, it was both amazement and sourness. Amazement for Alex, and sourness for pretty much everything else.

"Next" Alex calls silently, and upon discarding the Maliwan Gospel, she receives a fully loaded slag Twin Negotiator, a Dahl Handgun. Grey then kicks around a few more corpses and inspects more guns around the battlefield.

"Are you enjoying ignoring me that much?"

Alex turns her attention back to the gigantic Homero momentarily, and her heart rate increases ever so slightly at the monster's advance.

"Really? No thanks, not even a little bit of acknowledgement even when I've just saved you from _that_?"

"Where, Alex?" Grey calls with ragged breath.

"Over here" She deadpans at the same time she fills another Varkid cocoon with bullets before it bursts. Grey breaks for a run towards the shorter girl, evading bandits and Varkids, which receive multiple holes from Alex's gun.

"Next"

The Vault Hunter has to crouch and twist his head away from the loud explosion that blasts a Varkid.

"Move it!" He screams towards the silver-haired girl and redhead who are minding their own business. The silver-haired girl scowls but also breaks for a run towards Grey and the other Ship Girls, followed closely by her grinning companion.

"Heya, nice moves, babe" The redhead comments, but is ignored by the girl wielding the polearm. Seemingly uncaring at the girl's attitude, he soon addresses the other group. "And you aren't half bad either, shorty. On the other hand though, you're just a prick".

"Sorry, Prince Charming, but I've got things to do right now!" Grey retorts, giving the next gun to Alex and immediately resuming his search for equipment afterwards. "Hey, Al! How close are we to the fence!?"

"…I'm not sure" She responds honestly.

"Well, shit!" Grey readjusts his grip on Amber and picks another weapon. "Ain't that reassuring!?"

"Enough chitchat, here come more of 'em!" Quinn cries, swinging her polearm back in stance. True to her word, Varkids are going for them, crawling on both the walls and ground as well as flying towards them, screeching high into the air like it's nobody's business.

"Aw shit" Grey muses in response.

"Commander! Over here!" Alex calls, and Grey follows suit.

"LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, BITCHEEEEEEEEES!" A psycho spouts out while sticking his arm up into the sky, as Varkids feast on his insides. The scene is not unlike that of a swarm of flies swarming over a sack of rotten matter, only that the flies are oversized in this particular version of the prospect. Alex has to look away, her face losing color at the sight of the bandit being dismembered.

"Ain't that lovely?" The redhead chirps, following up his comment by a series of cheers, however, he stops a little bit when the bandit is torn in half and two Varkids take each of his halves and fly into the distance, followed by smaller Larval Varkids. "Daaaaaaaaamn! That must hurt!"

"Well, that was nasty" Grey comments sardonically, although he doesn't show concern for more than a second, quickly resuming his run.

"Hey, I forgot to ask" The redhead runs up to Grey. "But where are we actually going?"

"We're getting onto a wall and opening up the fence" Grey says immediately, and then turns to address the silver-haired girl. "And I need your cannon for it"

She gives him a confused look.

"And why should I!?" She retorts angrily.

"Homero's in deep shit then. One single girl is about to kick his ass" Grey says in a cynical tone while shaking his head with a sarcastic mug of his own.

"Well, er…" She muses, making a complicated face.

"Thought as much" Grey sighs in a mocking tone. "Besides, I don't think that weirdo has much of a better idea, anyways"

Grey, Alex and Quinn give just a little bit of their attention to the weirdo in question, who is having the time of his life shooting bandits and Varkids.

"ATATATATATATATATATATATATA….!" He shouts in an acute voice as he gives a series of "punches" with the TMPs he has in each hand. He presses each trigger whenever he extends the corresponding arm, filling a Badass Varkid with holes in a matter of seconds, never stopping his weird war cry. Grey does not understand how it is that he's able to move his arms in such a blindingly quick manner, even though the redhead has shown Grey that he's capable of that much for the few minutes they've been working together, of moving _real_ fast. "…ATATATATATATATATATATATA…!"

"WAH TAAAAHH!" In the very instant he runs out of bullets the redhead makes the gun in his right hand apparently disappear in thin air and then gives completely untrained straight to the Varkid with his unarmed fist. While the punch itself is amateurish, its speed is incredible like all of his movements before. The redhead pierces the Varkid's body with his last attack, gracelessly losing balance and ultimately tripping onto its corpse.

The redhead who claims himself to be Oswald Baltimore stands up with no apparent difficulty, with a goofy grin plastered on his face all the while.

The strange man takes leisure steps towards the rest of the group, and once he's near them, he shrugs his shoulders by making circles with them and tilting his head sideways, which produces a pleasant crack on his neck. Walking with a relaxed pace, the redhead calls for his missing handgun once again, and after loading each of his weapons with new magazines, he spins both by their trigger guards, and dexterously slides them on the belt behind his back and under his trench coat.

An awkward pause fills the air, then he puffs his chest.

"HOKUTO KYOSATSU-SHITOTSU-KEN!" 'Oswald' declares triumphantly.

Grey and Alex stare incredulously at the Varkid blasting from inside out in a series of explosions. Grey unwillingly lets his mouth open a little bit, while Alex's face shows both mild surprise and disgust. Quinn for the most part shows no reaction.

"How did you-?" Grey begins.

Alex doesn't have to voice out that they've accepted the help (or are helping, if one were to look at it from another angle) of someone very strange.

The redhead moves his finger over his mouth as if wanting silence, still grinning.

"It's a secret to everybody"

* * *

 

If the past minutes before Homero's awakening had been bad, the time after his awakening was absolute _horror_. Grey has been in deep shit before, but this is like being buried in a metal coffin with nothing but paper fasteners to break out… and having a rabid, hungry insect to eat you out… only that said insect is about the size of a skyscraper. Even the Ship Girls' cannons are nothing but mere peashooters against the monstrous Homero.

"Seriously, how in the seven heavens did Samuel breed this thing!?" Grey complains aloud. "That shit is even bigger than four years ago!"

"Huehuehue… shit" The redhead laughs nonchalantly. "Imagine the size of-"

"I DON'T WANT THAT IMAGE IN MY HEAD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Grey cries immediately.

"I was talking about the size of its hairs" The other male responds gracelessly. Grey prompts him a distrusting glare. "I'm serious, dude! I mean, one of its hairs must be as big as a truck, if not bigger! Imagine, selling its hair, we could become millionaire!"

"Who in their right mind would buy this thing's _hair_ , you stupid Admiral!?" Quinn yells. "Focus already!"

"But I am focused!" 'Oswald' responds. "I'm so in the zone that if I were any more focused I would awaken my eighth sense!"

"How does that even- No, I don't want to know!" Quinn finally cedes.

**"** **I'M THE JUGGERNAUT, BITCH!"** 'Oswald' cries joyfully as he crouches momentarily and without any kind of warning jolts forward with inhuman speed. 'Oswald' flashes with what seems to be a dark blue glow of sorts coming from inside his clothes and strange feet, and in an instant, he appears in a spot several meters away from where he was just an instant ago with his elbow extended forward against the creature. Leaving a trail of a strange blue something behind him, 'Oswald' crashes against the Varkid which was several meters away from him at breakneck speeds. The Varkid is sent skidding against the ground, rolling several times in its trip, and eventually ending on top of its own belly, dead.

"Or not really, but damn if it does feel like it sometimes!" 'Oswald' gives a triumphant cheer, gaining his balance like it was his second nature.

"How in the fuck are you able to do that!?" Grey cries.

'Oswald' gives him a funny look, although it is hidden by his glasses, which forces Grey to guess what his expression is.

"Family secret I guess?" He shrugs.

"Give me a break" Grey shakes his head tiredly in a 'no' motion.

'So, what's the deal with you three?" The redhead asks nonchalantly while still shooting more bandits and Varkids. "I don't think you're here for recreation… or are you?"

"Do I really look like the kind of guy who'd come into this kind of shithole!?" Grey retorts cynically and passes a new gun to Alex.

"Do I have to answer that question?" 'Oswald' reloads his TMPs.

"Fuck you"

"Love you too"

"Yeah, yeah. What about you? What's the deal, a faker and a Ship Girl together? I've seen some claimin' to be a Baltimore before, but damn, it's the first time I've seen someone claim to be _the_ Oz Baltimore".

"Whatever to ya mean?"

"What do I-!? Here, Alex!" Grey sighs, and turns to the redhead, giving an honest 'are you serious?' face before returning his attention to the group. A bandit jumps toward him, and using his free left hand, he shoots him with his borrowed Thrusting Slapper, blowing the bandit's head out of his neck with the explosive rounds of the Torgue pistol. "Bruh…"

"That's how they call me, bruh…" The redhead shrugs, and fires the TMP in his right hand by shooting under his left shoulder, as if trying to look cool. "I'm serious, bruh…"

"Hah, now you're pulling the nickname card?" Grey laughs dryly. "Seems farfetched, trying to pass off as a Baltimore, even if it's a nickname"

"Well, how about Joker?" The redhead says. "You've never heard of the Joker before? Come on, bruh! You must have at least heard of the Joker!"

"Yeah, right" Grey scoffs sarcastically. "Like you really are the only person to ever touch the Blackwaters and come back alive, suuuuuuuuuure. You're really one of the legendary pirates, suuuuuuuuuure"

"Well, I dunno about being a pirate, but long before coming to Chariot, I made quite the career for myself, I'm sure you've heard of me" 'Oswald' says reassuringly. "Oh, and the Blackwaters? You mean that desolate murky area up north?"

Grey passes the next gun onto Alex, but damn, he was running out of weapons. He'd need to scavenge again both for ammo and new weapons. Of course, neither Alex nor him could really reload their weapons, with both of their hands being occupied; it was more trouble than it's really worth at this point.

"I can't believe some weirdo like you to be the Joker" Grey snarls. "If you're really the Joker, show me proof"

The redhead stops cold in his tracks, going as far as stopping shooting. The redhead then sheathes his weapons.

"Wait, what the fuck are you doing!?" Grey yells. "We're near the border! Don't start doing stupid shit now!"

"Just a sec!" The other one says, and begins inspecting his pockets, running his hands through every corner of his body. The strange man goes as far as unzipping his pants and taking them off, leaving him only in his underwear (which were a pair of white boxers with a heart pattern all over them), and shaking them. "Where did I leave it again…?"

"W-what the hell!?" The silver-haired girl shrieks in distress.

Grey finally confirms his suspicions that the redhead is not human, or at least, not completely, but it doesn't stop him from freaking out. 'Oswald's' feet and legs up to the thighs are covered in what seem to be plates or scales of some kind. The texture and color indicate some sort of grayish metal, with his feet being clearly the most evident part of his non-humanity, as they have beastly nails on each toe and their overall form is more akin to pure bone rather than muscle, and that they have what seem to be some kind of semi-organic, almost robotic joints in the ankles and knees, which are outfitted with what can only be described as discs of some sort; the discs have various widths and sizes and are stacked together in strange forms, reaching in and out of his ankles and knees, and the ones under his feet go as far as making contact with the ground. The rest of his legs is streamlined in a sleek design. The metallic coloration and texture doesn't suddenly stop, as it gradually changes color until it turns into human skin and color in the lower part of thighs, right over the knees, with a series of sickly colored lines that _throb_ and invade onto the human tissue, said lines also extend and reach into the monstrous legs with complicated patterns, always seemingly _pulsing_ , not with light, but as if they were some sort of boiling liquid, if that made any sense.

Overall, it was a nasty sight. These couldn't be standard robotic limbs, as the way they joined with the rest of his body was bizarre, and Grey had never seen this kind of legs before, even if he had met various people with different kinds of protheses. They were all different all around, but nowhere near as bizarre as _this_.

The redhead puts on his lower wear, seemingly uncaring at the terrified faces of Grey, Alex and Quinn, and continues his search for the elusive thing inside his pockets, continuing with the pockets of his trench coat.

Eventually, the barefoot man produces a piece of crumped paper within a pocket inside his coat, which he merrily hands to Grey and continues his shooting.

"Forget the Baltimore and Joker shit. What in the seven heavens are you!?" Grey cries in alarm, not minding the paper.

"Who knows? Even I'm not so sure myself!" The non-human man says without batting an eye.

"Of all the things-!" Quinn begins rambling, and soon enough starts ignoring all the other enemies and begins smacking her Admiral with her hands and polearm, tears of indignation on her eyes.

However, Grey has to stop them.

"We'll worry about the freak show later!" He screams, and even though he's ignored by 'Oswald' and Quinn, he continues shouting. "That can wait, right now we need to get away from-"

Grey doesn't really need to say anything, as all his companions realize at that moment that Homero's finally set for them.

The monstrous Varkid towers above _everything_ else in the arena, with its 70 or something meters of height allowing it to have a clear view of everything inside the arena. All humans and lesser Varkids seem like ants in comparison. Homero screeches with an ungodly sound that momentarily stuns everyone in the vicinity, including its pawns.

"Aw crap…" Grey curses and jumps towards Alex.

"W-what are you- AAAH!" Alex doesn't even get to protest about her injured right arm as she's picked from the ground by her Commander, who breaks for a desperate run. Placing Amber under his right shoulder and picking Alex with his left arm and putting her in the same position as the unconscious girl, Grey takes a run for his money, as Homero drops its head down.

If anything, thanks to its massive size, Homero's jaws do not claim anyone's life by themselves, but they still cause _everything_ that is the maze to be sent into the air like if they were merely pebbles on the road (which they were from the monster's perspective). Rock and metal flies everywhere as the ground cracks under the scandalous insect might, and the flooring splits wide open under Grey and company's feet.

The Vault Hunter feels his footing falter, but doesn't stop running even when he realizes that his altitude is increasing. The floor crumbles and falls under him, but he doesn't relent and jump for dear life at each piece of concrete as it comes, continuing his rush for what it seems to be an eternity. Grey is eventually flung into like a ragdoll with both girls under his arms, but never lets his grip onto any of them falter until the very last moment of the impact.

He crashes against a hard surface barely crouching onto one knee, and feels how the combined weight of him, Amber and Alex reverberates through his entire body due to the rules of physics with a cold shower on his spine. He inadvertently lets go of both girls, which produces a sharp wince of pain from the lilac-haired one.

Grey closes his eyes and painfully stands up, tumbling back and forth as he tries to recover balance. His knees and back scream agony to the rest of his body, but he ignores them and steadies his footing. The scene that he finds takes away whatever little breath he manages to gather.

Of course, seeing such a giant monster wasn't good news, and even worse from this close. Grey finds himself staring at one of the many eyes of the giant beast. A single eye is bigger than him, and Grey watches in horrified fascination how the patterned optics stare into his very existence. Homero is so massive that Grey can't even fathom to distinguish what is what from at in this distance outside of its bulky, glossy eyes. Grey finds himself smiling with a grin that is desperate, a grin that is nervous… a grin that is _defying_.

"Hey there, you ugly son of a bitch" The Vault Hunter says in a provoking yet tired tone, then laughs weakly. "Heh… I don't think there's enough bug spray for you in the world…"

The Vault Hunter straightens himself up, pushing through the pain. He's lost sight of his left eye due to the showering of hot sparks from before, and his left arm never really healed, which he faintly holds with his right hand from the shoulder. If anything, it's thanks to the adrenaline have kept him from passing out again, but yet again, he knows that he's about to enter shock.

"Hey there, big guy" The relaxed voice that belongs to the not-yet-identified redhead reaches Grey's ears.

"…Hey" Grey returns the greeting weakly, and notices that 'Oswald' and Quinn are standing next to him.

"Whoa, you actually were nice for once!?" The redhead cries in astonishment, pulling himself on one knee in exaggerated surprise. "Who the hell are you and what did you do to my bro!?"

"…And now I'm your bro?" The Vault Hunter retorts with a small laugh. "Aren't you a cheeky bastard…"

"Hey, to be honest, you ain't half bad. You got nice moves and when you aren't being a smartass you can actually be fun" The redhead confesses. "Besides, you really worry about your girlfriends there, I mean, you've gotten this far with them both, it's not every day you see someone carry on with two little girls without complaining even once. Say, I never caught your name, too"

The brown-haired man pulls his locks away to reveal his face with a sweep of his left arm, which he ignores hurts like a bitch, and grins in an oxymoronic combination of hopelessness and defiance at the other young male.

"Grey Arkham" He finally says.

"Whoa, those are some nice eyes you got there, Grey. Mind if I call you Grey?" The redhead says, still uncaring about anything.

"Whatever, Oz" The young man says and takes a deep breath while making circles with his neck, producing a series of pleasant cracks.

"Thought you called bullshit on me being 'me' before?" The redhead says while quirking an eyebrow.

"I don't care any longer. Whether you're a faker, an impostor or whatever" Grey says, reaching for the Strife behind his back. "You can be the goddamn messiah for all I care"

"Well, thanks, I guess?" Oz says in a teasing tone.

Quinn maintains a close eye on the beastly creature that stands meters away from them. Homero doesn't push its body up, instead remaining with its head down, as if it was inspecting the small fries, its eyes set for the Vault Hunters and the three Ship Girls around them.

Quinn gulps, clearly uncomfortable at being so close near the gigantic Varkid.

"Let's say that, hypothetically, I asked you for a favor" Grey elaborates painfully. "What would you answer?"

Oz takes a moment to consider.

"Most likely? No" The redhead says with a grin.

"Yeah, I thought as much" Grey snorts sardonically.

"But, if it's you, I maaaaaaaay make an exception" Oz continues. "Just maybe"

"Pfft. You make it sound like it's some sort of deal with the devil" Grey raises both eyebrows in wicked amusement.

"You know, I met the devil once before…" Oz says. "He's a little bitch"

The comment causes Grey to give an obnoxious laugh.

"Aren't you full of surprises?" Grey remarks.

"A good mage never reveals his secrets" Oz responds while fixing an imaginary hat over his head.

"I dunno what that has to do with this, but I guess I'll take it"

Alex then finally manages to stand up, and joins Grey and the others in what seems to be their last stand. Her left arm hurts even more than before thanks to Grey's impromptu carrying of her. She is beaten, tired and somewhat disappointed. Was this how it ended?

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Oz says cheerfully.

"You know, for someone who's gone into and back from the Blackwaters, you're a real pushover" Grey retorts, cracking now his shoulder blades. "I didn't expect the Joker to be… well… you"

"Ain't life a bitch?"

"Yeah. I want to kick her ass" Grey declares gracelessly.

The two young men share a laugh together. The fun is short, but it is refreshing.

Grey gives a step forward, resting the Strife over his right shoulder. Giving a sigh with mild frustration, Grey turns to his Ship Girls. Alex finds that her Commander is giving her an apologetic smile, but not the kind that asks for ultimate forgiveness. No, it was the kind of smile that said "Sorry, I _will_ make it up to you somehow".

"You're thinking of going out with a blast, aren't you?" Oz says with apparent… _melancholy_.

"Something like that…" Grey answers with confidence. "Shame that I have no Overclock on me. This is going to be _very_ stupid of me"

Before Grey can put his reckless plan in action, however, a voice speaks from somewhere. No one in the group identifies at first what is actually happening, but they soon identify that the voice is coming from freaking _Homero_ of all things or places.

_"_ _Hey there, little Johnson. How ya holding up, ya bastard?"_ Samuel's voice rings from Homero. How did he do so was beyond Grey, but the Vault Hunter was too drained to care by this point anyway.

Quinn immediately primes her equipment and gets in front of her Admiral.

"You again? Damn…" Grey sighs tiredly.

_"_ _Enjoying the ride, little Johnson?"_ Samuel's disembodied voice speaks in wicked fascination. _"After all, I prepared all this just for you"_

"I'm having the time of my life" He responds sarcastically.

_"_ _And what about you, Joker?"_ Samuel addresses the other man. This raises Grey's eyebrows, but otherwise doesn't let it bother him too much. _"Hopefully, my preparations weren't in vain for someone of your caliber"_

"You sure know how to entertain your guests, Mr. J!" Oz says cheerfully. "No drinks, no food and everything in sight tries to kill us. This is one hell of a party! Only that it makes me sad that you prepared this for Grey and not for me, but oh well!"

_"_ _Good, good!"_ Samuel begins to laugh, but is interrupted by a fit of coughing. _"I'm glad you're all entertained!"_

"I think I've bitten more than I can chew" Grey readily admits. "To be honest, I'm wasted"

_"_ _Oh, that's too bad"_ Samuel says with sadism as clear as day in his voice. _"But I'm sure you can still play for a bit more? After all, Homero is just getting started"_

Grey takes a deep breath, and stays silent for some seconds. The Vault Hunter closes his eyes in this interval, and lets his breathe become rhythmical, _steady_.

First he turns back to the unsteady Alex, who gives him a quivering look.

"I… I can still fight" She says.

But Grey doesn't believe her, she can barely stand.

"You've done enough" He says with a face that results indescribable to the lilac-haired girl. "I need you to stay with Amber"

And then, he turns back to the titanic monster, the last obstacle. Oz doesn't let his own smile falter, and notes how Grey's killer intent becomes clearly focused. Grey drops the Strife from his shoulder, and takes a step forward, letting his anger out in the form of cold, calculated, if yet somewhat reckless vengeance.

"Time to wrap this mess up"


	11. Rules of Nature

The shotgun rounds that were fired from Grey's weapon pierce the beast's giant eye, and without letting up, the Vault Hunter deliberately _jumps_ into the creature's eye-socket. Homero had lazily downed its body near ground level, and with its previous attack, it had left it quite uneven, putting Grey and company near what used to be a wall. An ear-grating, heart-wrenching screech is produced inside the arena, as Homero's frame rises into the air. The giant insect's eye bursts out of place with a disgusting sound and gushes out insane amounts of green ooze, as Grey outright grabs himself by the insides of the insect and continues shooting inside it. Grey eventually tears out a large quantity of ocular tissue, and using his bare hands, the Vault Hunter disappears from everyone's sight as he _enters_ the insides of Homero.

"HA HA!" Oz laughs as he applauds at Grey repeatedly with strong, slow and approving claps. "Now that's one crazy motherfucker!"

And then, grinning wider than ever before, Oz downs into a kneeling position.

"I'm not missing this party!" He cries with murderous glee, and with inhuman strength, pushes himself up into the sky with a jump. The redhead lands on one of Homero's legs, and using his inhuman strength, he begins scaling the colossal Varkid from the outside, making impossible jumps and digging the tips of his fingers onto Homero's hairy body.

**"** **What the hell are you doing, you stupid, stupid, STUPID Admiral!?"** Quinn cries in utter dismay at the actions of the reckless redhead that left her without a word. At first she keeps her aim on the creature, but eventually decides against it as she may cause her Commander to fall down or worse, hit him.

Alex cannot process what just happened for her part. She stands there, dumbfounded and incapable of saying even a word, only watching the incredible Homero rage at the invader of his insides and the strange man scaling its body.

Back on top of Homero, Oz is flung in every direction as he keeps his grip on the insect's leg. Each stride of Homero is long and incredibly tiring, but Oz has more than enough stamina to spare for the trip. He doesn't mind the vertigo or the nausea, in fact, they make him feel _alive_ in a somewhat twisted way. The euphoria that it gives him to face such an overwhelming creature makes his corrupted blood boil.

"Whoa!" Oz yelps as he loses grip on the leg he was holding on and is sent into the air. The redhead catches onto the next leg, and although he loses some altitude because of it, it only serves to make him more excited.

Homero calls for the smaller Varkids, which start swarming around its body. Oz sees how the lesser insects start flocking around in a cacophonic disarray, and his grin becomes feral at the sight. Oz lets go of Homero's leg and goes into free fall. The winds that blow against his face do not bother him, and he eventually falls on top of a Badass Varkid's abdomen.

"Care to give me a ride?" He says cheerfully and takes ahold of its sides. The Varkid rages and tries to make Oz fall off, but the redhead is relentless in his grip and pulls the insect's mesothorax around in an effort to guide it. The Varkid in return shakes and jerks violently in every direction with each pull. "I like you, I'll call you Bruno!"

However, 'Bruno's' time of service under Oz is short lived, as it crashes onto another Varkid. The large insect starts plummeting to the ground uncontrollably, and Oz takes it as his cue to abandon ship… or insect. Oz shifts his body to be going headfirst down.

"Bye bye, Bruno! Catch ya later!" Oz yelps, and then spots another possible candidate for a ride. Oz then somersaults midair and lands on top of a Super Badass Varkid. The struggle is greater than before, as this Varkid is far bigger and more powerful than Bruno, being that this was a Super Badass while Bruno was just a Badass.

Oz doesn't relent in his intent to catch a ride in one of the Varkids, and drags and pulls his new steed into submission. Of course, his efforts don't pay too much fruition.

"Easy there, Barney!" Oz says affectionately to the newly-named Varkid, but the results aren't too forthcoming.

It catches the redhead by surprise when he's knocked down from his ride not by the ride itself, but by another Varkid that slams against him. Oz manages to take ahold of one of Barney's legs, and is given an impromptu flight tour around Homero's body by the crazed insect. Needless to say, the redhead screams excitedly in his joyride.

* * *

Grey has to admit that he wasn't prepared to do what he had just done. Entering inside of a monster was questionable in more than one way, while some would consider it out of the question altogether. Was it a sensible plan? Of course not! Did Grey care about any of that at this point? Not really, no.

Perhaps it was due to Homero's massive size, but its insides were equally spacious. If Grey would ignore the soft tissue that made… well, _everything_ , he may have thought of this as a field trip to some cave.

Of course, imagination can only carry you so far. Anyone who says the mind can do anything should be shot in the face. There are things that just simply _cannot_ be overlooked.

Grey doesn't get used to the footing inside Homero. It was like walking inside one of those plastic trampolines that children loved in their parties… only 400% nastier and smellier, actually, make that a 700%. Grey walks around the place with no real destination, as he has _no_ idea what he was actually doing. The Vault Hunter only keeps close track of where he's going and every so often looks back to try and remember where he came from.

And damn if the ambient temperature wasn't _hot_ inside the damned insect. Grey shoots remotely _anything_ that seems to be some sort of organ. Whatever's pulsing and/or has the form of a lump, he shoots until it bursts. Of course, the smell of insect blood wasn't pleasant… although being inside one was nightmare fuel as it was in the first place.

_"_ _Hey there, Little Johnson"_ rings Samuel's voice even inside the insect.

"The fuck?" Grey growls. "Even here I can't get rid of you!?"

_"_ _Well, this transceiver was put inside my little Homero's brain after all. I didn't think it would reach inside it… but well, isn't this a pretty coincidence?"_ Samuel says cheerfully.

"Is this how you control it?" Grey says aloud. Of course, Samuel should have some form of control over the insect, lest he risked it running free around Chariot. Now _that_ was a scary thought.

_"_ _Well, sorta"_ Samuel chides in, seemingly uncaring that he's revealing his secrets to the Vault Hunter. _"You see, in a way I do control Homero, but it's just like I tell it_ what _to do, not_ how _to do it. You see, no matter how evolved they are, Varkids are still, fundamentally speaking, insects, and they lack the same brain capabilities as that of, let's say, us humans. Now, Homero is also, fundamentally speaking, the same as any other Varkid"_

"Only like a thousand times bigger" Grey comments sardonically.

_"_ _Well of course!"_ Samuel responds proudly. _"It took me several decades of my life to perfect Homero's genome. As you know, Varkids have the capacity to evolve almost on the fly, if you could say so"_

"Pun intended?" Grey says cynically.

_"_ _Yes, little Johnson, pun intended"_ Samuel agrees. _"However, there is a limit to Varkids as they naturally are, perhaps you are not familiar with this, but there actually is one final stage of natural evolution for Varkids. Even I must admit that Homero is far from what I envision. You see, I've been trying to replicate a certain evolution in the Varkids, however, in my studies, I found out a completely different way to make them change, hence Homero as you know it._

_Homero is completely different from what I had in mind at first, but in a way, it works. I mean, Homero's size as it is a clear indication of something different as it is when compared to other Varkids. Sadly, he is not the ultimate goal I'm looking for. I exchanged many qualities, including, for example, its capacity for flight. I hope that someday I'm able to find the next stage"_

"And I should care about all this because…?"

_"_ _Because everything has a natural limit, little Johnson. But still, we humans have learned to break all natural barriers. Why, even your abilities and those of the Joker are byproduct of thousands of years of research, of trial and error!"_

"And your point is?"

_"_ _That when you break the natural barriers, its only imagination that limits us… or at least that it's what I'd like to say, but of course it is not as simple as that"_

"Your mad-science babble does not interest me, Samuel" Grey finalizes.

_"_ _Oh, but it should, little Johnson, after all, how can you explain the girlies that accompany you?"_

Grey freezes at this.

_"_ _Oh ho ho. Atta boy"_ Samuel says cheerfully, and proceeds to get a fit of mad coughing. After half a minute or so of complete silence, Samuel's voice speaks again. _"Those girls aren't human, little Johnson, but I'm sure that you know that already. I mean, if it weren't for the fact that they carry weapons of mass destruction with them with such ease, it should at least be that they can't be normally hurt. You see, I've already made some tests with them"_

**"** **You what!?"**

_"_ _Oh, do not worry, I did not kill them. Hoho, you've always had a soft spot for little girls, haven't you, little Johnson?"_

Grey doesn't respond to this.

_"_ _But well, I mean, what is there to get about a dead sample? It is always better to study live specimens. That I can assure you. Back on track, these 'Ship Girls' are unlike anything I've ever seen before, and oh boy, have I seen my fair share of oddities in my life… Not only are they youthful and beautiful like few human girls could ever hope to be, they are just… incredible"_

"Now you're sounding like an old pervert"

_"_ _Oh ho ho, what's wrong with appreciating beauty, in whatever form it may come? Beauty is such a fickle thing, so… transient and fleeting. I believe that beauty is a thing that should be learned from, and not necessarily forced to be kept for oneself or for 'all eternity'. Bah! Eternity! That concept is such a joke!_

_Man is so stupid, always looking to transcend time and space, always arrogant and on the verge of destroyed by none other than itself, but at the same time, man is wonderful. Man can create the most wonderful of things, be it a piece of art, or even an offspring, but also man can create the worst of things, weapons of mass destruction, hunger, even money. All of humanity's whims are so contradictory that to this day I'm surprised to see that we've come this far. But well, it is in our_ _**nature** _ _to always give the middle finger to everything._

_Of course, that doesn't mean, that given the chance I wouldn't do my best to learn one or two things. Even this old crook likes to learn one or two tricks every time, ho ho."_

"You never intended to let me and the girls go, did you?"

_"_ _Oh my, little Johnson. I thought we had a deal?"_

"Like if words meant _anything_ to you, you bastard" Grey scoffs bitterly. "You've been nothing but lies, deceptions and bullshit all your life"

_"_ _You know that isn't true,_ _**little Johnson** _ _"_

Grey feels nauseous at this point, both because of Samuel, and the lack of oxygen that's beginning to kick in.

_"_ _I may put hidden meanings between words all the time, but I hardly ever lie. To say I never lie would be false, but I can assure you, little Johnson, that when it pertains people,_ _**I will see right through them, and make them see the truth** _ _"_

"Pfft. By putting a speck of truth in a lie? That still doesn't make it the truth"

_"_ _White lies and half-truths, which do you prefer, little Johnson?"_

Grey finally finds what he's been looking for. He hasn't kept going blindly, but with a purpose to guide him. When Samuel started talking even from inside Homero, Grey was surprised, but as Samuel kept speaking, Grey realized that the old crook's voice was coming from _somewhere_ inside the creature, and Grey had capitalized on Samuel's willingness to chat, and followed the voice into Homero's depths. He had found first some sort of speaker, a black box of sorts which he supposed was connected to some form of machine, and surprisingly, it was wired. The cable was surrounded in an icky substance, and at some points was even embedded inside the insect's flesh. Grey had followed the wire to the point where he was now.

The Vault Hunter unlocks the Strife from behind his shoulder, and takes aim for the strange lump that reaches deep into _somewhere_ , direction which Grey isn't hot on finding out. The strange lump must be its brain, and Grey doesn't hesitate to shoot it.

"All of you assholes are all the same" Grey says with a dizzied head. "But what the heck, what did I expect? No matter what are the circumstances, people like you live to make others miserable; that is all you _ever_ do.

"What a dumb question"

The Vault Hunter fires his first round.

"That which ends the bullshit quicker"

* * *

 

Outside, Homero gives an agonizing screech as it caves in. It tumbles and stumbles, losing balance as each of its legs cave in one after the other. The arena trembles when the impossibly giant Varkid dies, its body crashing into the uneven ground of the arena.

Oz also crashes onto the ground and on top of a wingless Varkid, his strange legs absorbing any and all damage to the rest of his body. The redhead incorporates slowly, and gives an excited whistle.

"That was TIGHT!" He cries triumphantly, and turns back to the defeated Homero, giving yet another set of claps followed by a dual thumbs up. "Grey, you're fucking nuts!"

Quinn and Alex (Who is carrying Amber) approach the redhead. Quinn rushes in first.

Oz turns back to the silver-haired girl, and extends his arms to his sides, ready to embrace his loving companion…

Only to receive an ungodly Ship Girl Punch ™ to his face.

**"** **YOU STUPID ADMIRAL, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?"**

Oz is sent flying backwards and into the ground, where his face meets the ground and he skids on the rocky surface for about 3 or so meters. In the end he spins right over his own body and ends up defeated not by the swarms of Varkids, not by the groups of bandits, not even by Homero, but by his very own partner.

Quinn doesn't let it stop there, as she walks over to her Admiral with stern steps and picks his damaged body from the ground which she begins violently rocking back and forth.

**"** **YOU GIANT, STUPID, USELESS ADMIRAL! IDIOT! MORON! FOOL! JERK! IMPRUDENT, SENSELESS DIMWITTED-!"**

"Sorry about that" Oz says in a yet-never seen apologetic and reassuring tone, with a smile that finally seems genuine. The redhead grins a radiant smile as he closes his eyes, even as his face has severe burning marks across his whole face. The redhead gives the silver-haired girl a rub on her head, which causes the strange satellites above her head to go completely stiff, in a manner not unlike surprised cats.

Alex feels out of place with Amber at her back.

Silence reigns the arena for a while, as Varkids seem to scram at the loss of their leader. The insects retreat into the giant hole in the center of the arena, leaving everything else behind. After some time, bandits and spectators alike begin cheering and celebrating. It seems that they don't even mind Homero's dead, and in fact, are ecstatic by it, as soon, many of them rush to the giant creature's corpse and begin doing their best to penetrate its shell with whatever tools they can find.

"W-where's…" The lilac-haired girl says with a strand of voice. "Where is… my… my Commander?"

The lilac-haired girl drops Amber near a wall, and begins walking towards Homero, but her walk becomes a trot, and eventually, she finds herself running towards the remains of the creature her Commander had jumped into.

"E-Excuse me…" She hurriedly calls as she squeezes between the men and women that are trying to get some meat out of Homero. The creature is quite big, so she can't really know where to look in the first place, but she won't let that stop her. She climbs onto the creature's face.

"C-Commander?" She calls with a low voice, but she knows that there is no way Grey would hear her with such tiny volume.

"Commander!"

No response.

"C-Commander! Can you hear me!? This is… This is Alex! Can you hear me!? Please, answer me!"

"What are you doing?" Oz' voice reaches her. The lilac-haired girl turns her head back to see Oz and Quinn walking towards her, with Amber being carried like a princess in Quinn's arms.

"I-I…" Alex's voice is cut short. "C-Commander…"

"Oh right" Oz says, as if suddenly remembering something he forgot. "Grey was inside this thing, wasn't he?"

The redhead also steps on top of Homero's corpse, and starts touching around the creature's body with his palms for a while. He touches in one place and sticks his ear to the insect's skin, and knocks on it like if it were a door. He repeats this process various times around Homero's body, and each time gives a thoughtful look before re-doing it elsewhere.

The redhead eventually stops at one spot near the one of the many eyes of Homero, and finally gives a satisfied sigh.

"You girls may want to stand back" He says cheerfully, and all both Ship Girls do as prompted.

Oz then gets into a strange stance, which resembles some sort of martial art. Opening his legs wide to each side, Oz stands perpendicularly against Homero's body, and lines his shoulders and arms in an impressive posture. He pulls his left hand back while he extends his right arm, the one nearest to Homero, and spreads his fingers straight. Oz then spins his arms a few times, always resuming his previous posture.

Alex feels her heart pound inside her.

Oz stands still for some seconds that become far too heavy even for Quinn, who has no attachment to the other girl's Admiral.

One second…

Three seconds…

Ten seconds…

"Ah, fuck it"

Oz then inadvertently breaks his pose completely and just walks over the surface he had been apparently aiming for. The strange man leaps high into the air, and once he's on his uppermost point, he spins over his head and brings his right foot down in a humanly impossible flying axe kick. Oz drops to the ground with a dumb, grave sound, and tears through Homero's hardened shell like it's made of butter. Oz opens a wide gap in the creature's face near its eye, producing a fountain of icky green blood from inside, and then proceeds to walk away from it like his job was done.

Quinn jolts back a bit, but Alex doesn't bother with evading the oozy rain, keeping her eyes glued to the gap Oz just opened.

It doesn't take Alex long to find a distinctively human figure within the breach. The lilac-haired girl doesn't think twice and jumps for her Commander. Alex takes ahold of Grey's right arm, which is sticking out the most, and pulls him out with all the strength she can muster with her left hand. It takes her three pulls to bring Grey's unconscious body out of the Varkid.

The young man is covered from head to toe in icky Varkid fluids, but that doesn't stop Alex. Moving Grey on top of his back, Alex places her ear over his bare chest to check for his pulse, and then checks his wrists.

"I'm sure the guy is alright" Oz says nonchalantly. "If he's that crazy, he's sure to have the body to back it up. If not, we'll replace his bones with ones made of Nokium… or Nintendium… yeah, preferably Nintendium"

"He needs CPR" Alex says, her gaze becoming fierce.

"CPR!? Then leave it to me!" Oz declares excitedly as he also jumps towards Grey's side. The redhead sits beside Grey, and crouches down, bringing his face near Grey's. However, his excitement is short lived, and he suddenly freezes right over Grey's lips.

"T-this is just CPR, yep, just CPR. N-Nothing else! I mean, he's my bro! It's the least I can do! Of course, I mean, he isn't half bad! Of course, this is just coming from the perspective of a perfectly healthy young man who is in by no means attracted to other guys! This is just done because it is needed to ensure my bro's survival, of course! Nothing else!"

Oz continues his rambling and doesn't go on with the CPR, which irks the small girl on the other side of Grey's body.

"…Of course, if one were to ask me, I would, without a doubt, say that Grey isn't half bad! I mean, there's the matter with the burns he has right now over his face, b-but if one were to take them off, I'm sure they'd find that he's quite a charming guy! I mean, he's got all that badass thing going on for him, which girls really like, b-but well, I mean, there's nothing wrong with guys liking a badass guy! I mean, it's like GAR! I'm totally GAR for my bro! Yes! It's GAR! The GAR, of course! Hehe… Y-yes… G-GAR…"

"…."

"Of course, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with girls liking girls either, I mean, that's pretty hot actually, and it can be kinda cute, we can all attest to that!"

"Get… off…"

"If one were to ask me, I'd say bros before hoes! I mean, the bro-code is a thing! But… when its guys on guys, I wonder how the bro-code works then…?"

"Oz… you f-fuck…"

"That said, I believe that anyone is free to do whatever he or she likes, I mean, what the fuck, man? We're in the 57th century! Let people do as they wish, it's a free country er- planet! I mean- galaxy? Or are we already in the universal scale? I kinda forgot. Which reminds me, what's the friggin' deal with time measurements nowadays? I can't get around the idea of all these different calendars and shit!"

"Oz, get the fuck off me"

"Which also reminds me, there was this one time when I was in the Gaflar system that I came across this bunch of dudes and dudettes all dressed up high and elegant in their G.F. Trooper suits, and I was like "Hey!" and they were like "Hands up! You're under arrest!" and I'm like "Whut, mateys? You wanna a piece of da Jokah? Don't ya know what day it is today°! And then they're all like- YEEEOWW!"

"Get the fuck off me already, sicko" Grey spurts painfully after giving the redhead a punch on his face. The Vault Hunter then rolls over his own body, and gives painful coughs in which he pushes icky green Varkid fluids out of his lungs. The Vault Hunter incorporates painfully while spitting out and trying to clean himself off the oozes.

"Fuck…" Grey mourns tiredly. "Anyone caught the number of that truck…?"

"Well, ain'tcha a dear?" Oz reincorporates immediately. "You're good enough to be actin' like a smartass already? We were worried for nothing then!"

Grey gives a muffled, painful laugh, and is help to sit with the help of the girl besides him.

"Alex…?" The Vault Hunter says weakly, identifying the dirty girl besides him with a little bit of trouble.

The girl doesn't say anything at first, and even if her face doesn't crumble, even if she's not smiling, or there are no tears on her eyes yet, the relief in her voice is as clear as water.

"Welcome back, Commander"

Grey feels somewhat awkward at receiving such words again. Amber had told him those very same words back when he awoke after the incident two weeks ago, and now, Alex was giving him the very same words. It was a strange feeling he couldn't get around placing quite yet.

A kind of feeling he didn't find he disliked, though.

Grey is wordlessly helped by Alex to stand back on his feet, as he finds himself quite exhausted by all the events that have occurred in the span of little less than an hour. Supported by Alex, who doesn't say anything about her dislocated left arm, Grey incorporates slowly, finding himself in the middle of a carnival amidst the joyful bandits, other participants and spectators that had joined in for the feast of the fierce Homero's insides.

Grey doesn't notice the small smile creeping on his face, a smile of satisfaction. Even if he's injured like this, he has managed to kill Samuel's greatest pet. The young Vault Hunter turns to his peeves, and is met with the inexpressive, yet evidently rejoiced Alex, the ever-smiling Oz, the hard-headed Quinn…

And in the next instant Grey's smile is wiped from his face.

Grey tries to begin walking towards Amber behind Quinn's back, but taking a step is impossible for him. He stumbles, and is only stopped from falling over completely only by Alex's support. The Vault Hunter gives a discouraged sigh, seeing how the auburn girl is still unconscious.

* * *

After that, the following minutes the group spend fixing each other. Oz had the decency of getting them some Anshin Health Kits for the Ship Girls, while also helping Grey's group escape amidst the carnival that had become the arena (But not before Oz picked his own fix of Homero's meat). The Vault Hunter was familiar with dislocations and broken bones far too much for his liking, and as he had had to fix himself in the past, he was no stranger to popping arms and legs back in place, so, with some reluctance from Alex's part, she had her elbow fixed by her Commander. Of course, the lilac-haired girl was still given a sling to rest her right arm, as she had carried along her mangled arm for too long, and even with the kits, it'd take her some time to recover; it'd only be for a few hours, provided she didn't begin swinging her arm yet. Still, Grey wanted to check for infections and/or any other symptoms that could present themselves, given that this was just a first-aid and not actual treatment

Amber was a little bit more complicated. Upon closer observation, Grey realized that Amber had a few ribs and her left leg broken. The hits she had received when falling from the Buzzard had been horrible, and though her life wasn't in danger due to her being a Ship Girl and tanking hits a lot better than a normal human, it'd still cause her some fever overnight. The health kits would mend her broken bones and deal with minor infections in a few hours, but right now, it was preferable to keep the auburn girl immobile.

Grey for his own part only really had to deal with his burned skin, which was doable with a Rejuvinator, plus some broken fingers on his left hand, also easily fixable. The concussion to his head wasn't as severe, and right now, he only really felt the "kick" after his body cooled down, but with that, there was no helping, as anesthetics would only hinder him, and he still preferred to avoid them anyways.

Quinn, Oz' Ship Girl, received minor damage overall outside of her arms and shoulders, as she fought at melee-range for a long time with her polearm. She was reached by some Varkid's acid ooze, but at the surprise of everyone, including Quinn herself, the acid that had gotten onto her only caused her some minor itching. Outside of countless scratches, the only other "major" injury was a large, skin-deep cut that she received on her back due to a bandit's buzzaxe, but that hadn't done any real damage.

Oz had no injuries, if that was even possible. The redhead had served as the nurse, and helped fix the rest.

In this time, the group took a chance to chat a little bit around a little bonfire they made. When it wasn't Oz rambling about the most ridiculous of stuff, it was either Grey or Quinn talking about their doings (with a little bit of reluctance from Quinn's side). By this, Grey learned that Oz was also a Vault Hunter, and had come across Quinn about a week or so ago, however, it was quite the strange tale.

Because it wasn't that Oz went onto some fool's errand to find some metallic container in the middle of nowhere. No, it actually was something far more… interesting to say the least.

Quinn was actually activated by another Admiral from her box. She said that her first Admiral was worse than Oz in the little time she interacted with him. She refused to reveal what actually happened with her previous Admiral, saying that she only served him for less than 1 hour.

"Wait, what?" Had been Grey's honest reaction-

"You know, it actually is quite the funny thing, you see, 6 days ago I had been around the area. It was in the forsaken Lambda District…"

"You even went to that forsaken place!? By this point I'm not sure if you're that good or just have some devil's luck"

"I've heard that before! So basically, funny thing is, I was looking for some guys because they owed me some money, I'd have you tell I'm quite good for Poker! Well, just imagine me, running around the streets of that urban warzone guns akimbo, chasing this band of scammers who thought they could rip me off. Well, it kind of ended with us deep inside one of the many, many abandoned sectors of the place, and the place became a mess. Imagine me, three guys and a place like the arena, only a lot more interesting and… vertical. So I was going around murdering these assholes when the last one suddenly bails out and starts running away! So I go after the guy and turn this really _tight_ corner, and then there's a guy and BANG! I shoot the motherfucker down- only that wait! The motherfucker I shot wasn't the motherfucker I was looking for!

So you have me like all 'bruh…' and the guy I just shot is like 'what the fuck, man?' and he tumbles over. I mean, the bastard didn't even have a shield on him! It was hilarious seeing the guy die immediately to three Vladof pistol rounds! I mean, who the fuck dies to that!?

And then, besides the mofo I just shot is a cutie with the most terrified of grimaces I've seen in a while now! Fast forward a couple minutes, and I'm walking out of town with a cutie who has no idea of anything except that I'm her Admiral or something!"

"Wait, wait, wait, are you for real!?" Grey cries in disbelief. Only Quinn's defeated sigh and Oz' perpetual grin confirm it, although the silver-haired Ship Girl does point out some important factors that Oz skipped or forgot. After multiple questions, Grey has to admit defeat.

"Wait, wait, then that means that if you kill an Admiral, you get command over his Ship Girls?" Grey asks in honest curiosity after recapitulating Oz' tale in his mind. "Doesn't that seem kinda fucked up?"

Oz gives him an 'are you for real?' look.

"Bruh…"

"Yeah, right. We live in Chariot sure, but has it ever crossed your mind that these girls aren't from Chariot? I mean, this whole shit smells fishy as it is. And no, don't bullshit me with the 'Bruh, this is Chariot!' card"

"Well, shit, what am I supposed to say? I just simply don't know jackshit anymore, lol"

"Dude, are you lol'ing for real now?"

"Bruh, I've been travelling around many planets for a while now, and it just so happened that the day I stepped into Chariot again I got involved in some weird shit. Not that I'm complaining though! I mean, all this is a lot more interesting that chasing losers around Norway- I mean, some lost planet"

The two men continue their talk for a while. Oz cuts up some portions out of the giant piece of the fire, and serves one piece of Homero's flesh for everyone. Needless to say, both Alex and Quinn are reluctant at first.

"You're not eating that?" Oz says with a bunch of Varkid inside his mouth. "Gimmie then"

After seeing both men dig in their dishes with glee, both girls mimic them, realizing that they are also very hungry, although Quinn is the most vocal about it, as she quickly refuses and takes an unsure bite onto the insect loin. The taste is… new. Crunchy with a strange texture, and needless to say, the fact that it is insect flesh in the first place doesn't help either. However, Quinn doubles her efforts to eat her share as Alex is already halfway through her part, not willing to fall behind the smaller girl.

"Not cool dude, you got your own share" Grey takes another bite.

"Sho, uat ae' iu gun' t' u nao?"

"Go back to my place, hopefully. Once things calm down around here and Amber is in position to move, I'm scramming"

"Mhmm, I shee" Oz swallows down, and burps gracelessly. "Where are you going?"

"To the west. I was supposed to get money for the train when I first joined the arena, but you as you know, that didn't end too well. But I'll think of something" Grey eats his share in small bites. "What about you?"

"I-" Gulp. *I think I'm going to gather some more data. All this weird thing with Ship Girls and Admirals and shit seems like fun, so I think I'll stick around Chariot for a while. I'll most likely head for Alpha first, since it is closer"

"You can get access to such fancy place? Wow" Grey remarks in minor astonishment.

"I don't really like the people of that place, but I've got some contacts there. Depending on what I get, I'll go either for Sigma or Gamma"

"I see…" Grey sighs pensively. "Sigma's pretty far away, though… also, isn't it pretty cold by this season? I think the waterways will be closed for a few weeks, the ice is blocking almost all direct accesses, so your best shot is by land… and that isn't exactly a trip on the countryside"

"Aw crap, you serious? I'll see about that, then" Oz says at the other man's words, but quickly recovers his cheerful demeanor.

Oz then finishes his share of fried Varkid loin. The redhead throws away the metallic rod he had been using to eat, and produces a wooden toothpick from his coat, which he uses to pick the meat between his teeth.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask…" Grey says, and even though Oz doesn't really turn his head to him, he knows that he's listening. "I know now that it really wasn't in your original plans, but now that you've gotten involved in all this, are you gonna search for the Vault?"

"Mmmm" Oz gives a thoughtful mumble, and then says nonchalantly. "Well, I may as well do it, since I'm part of this. It does sound like fun, too"

Grey remains in meditative silence for a little while, however, he's taken out of his thoughts by Oz' relaxed voice.

"So that also makes us partners" The redhead states sunnily. "To be honest, it doesn't sound half bad. I mean, this can become a nice story for the years to come!"

"What, you're only in this for the thrill?" Grey's eyes widen a little in honest surprise. "Bullshit"

"Bruh, there's more to fame n' money to this life"

"Yeah, right, says the guy claiming to be Oswald Baltimore"

"Bruh, I didn't choose this name, it was more or less given to me"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well, get ready for story time again" Oz says as he pushes out a small strand of meat out of his mouth, which he discards into the ground.

"This is a story from long, _loooong_ ago, it's like, the first thing I ever recall. I wake up inside some ship, with no memory of myself or even knowing what the hell is going on. You know what was the worst thing, though? The smell; the place smelled like shit. It was the smell of rotting flesh in sea water. I don't know what the hell is going on, and the moment I try to move, I find that my legs are burning like a bitch, like, have you ever hit your toenail against the corner of your bed? Well, I don't remember how that feels anymore, but something within me tells me like that hurts like a motherfucker; well, something like that, in short, my whole legs hurt like hell, like, I can't even move them. I naturally turn down to see what's the deal, and lo and behold, I have the sexiest legs you'll ever see.

So I'm all like 'bruh…', and then I realize that the ship is sinking, because you know, there's water around me, like, everywhere. I don't know what in the hell is going on, and I mean, what's the deal with these guys' bodies? I can't even remember them.

So, I'm like 'you shitting me, bruh?' and have to drag myself out of the place only by dragging myself around, damn, I remember my hands being burned to a crisp… Mmm… crispy, Then, I'm like: "Well, crap, what am I supposed to do now?" And during my climb I realize that all this time I've been holding onto something. I don't even know that my hand has been clenched all this time, but when I do open it, I find this like really old piece of parchment, like, the thing is completely antique! I, of course, read it, and find that it says with some odd letters, like, they are really ancient or some shit: 'Oswald S. Baltimore'. Well, I can't recall anything at that moment, and since I can't go around being some nameless mofo, I just kinda take it. Fast forward a couple days, and I just kinda stuck with it"

The tale strikes Grey as odd, and it piques his curiosity. A ship? Where? So this means that he's just using an alias? That would explain it.

See, Oswald Baltimore is somewhat of a legend. No one knows if he really existed at this point, but apparently, as most of the stories are either flat-out ridiculous or no one really knows what's true and what's not anymore. Some say that the guy lived hundreds of years ago, while others say that he came around the same time of Chariot's colonization. While there are various versions and differences throughout all stories, the main parts always remain the same: Oswald S. Baltimore was a pirate who managed to take ahold of some form of treasure, and that he managed to hide it somewhere in Chariot. While no one really knew if the person existed in the first place, there have definitely been some who've come to Chariot in search of the Baltimore Treasure.

This was why Grey called bullshit when the guy introduced himself as the mythical figure. However, this only gave place to more questions, as Grey wasn't certain of who exactly the person before him was.

"Well, bruh, you should add me to your ECHO, so we can keep in touch" The redhead says cheerfully after some moments of silence.

"Hard right now, I told you I have no ECHO for the time being" Grey responds after staying quiet for some time as well.

"Oh right… then…"

"However…"

Grey detaches an ECHO from his belt and hands it to Alex, and spends the following minutes formatting and configuring it like a new one for her, and once he's done, he has the lilac-haired girl register both Quinn and Oz to her newly acquired device. The ECHO he gave Alex had been the one he had taken off the guard before they had even entered the arena.

The group calmly finishes the rest of Homero's remains at ease, chatting nonchalantly about their adventures in the arena. No one addresses Oz' strange legs or past anymore, nor they inquire about Grey's, and no one addresses the girls for their memories. The group just spends the rest of the afternoon without worrying about anything else, just in amiable company of those who helped each other overcome the shithole that was Capricho's arena, in which they ended up spending not 40 minutes as Samuel had promised, but 3 hours, 3 agonizing and _long_ hours. Grey and Oz exchange stories from their adventures, and even though the redhead had a far bigger repertoire to choose from, as he was the one to talk most of the afternoon, Grey did have some stories of his own to share. The twilight soon gives place to the night with remembrances of insane bandits and their antics, inglorious battles, and countless bullets.

The girls and Vault Hunters then make their rounds before sleeping. Oz takes the first guard, insisting that Grey and the girls rest. Grey finds himself very tired, and in the end accepts the redhead's proposal, but also insists that he take the next shift.

In the end, Oz lights a cigarette and sits upon a small hill. They are in the far outskirts of Capricho, surrounded by large plains and mountains in the distance. Quinn falls asleep first, accommodating under the grassy hill where Oz was making watch.

Grey makes his way next to Amber's sleeping body, and sits beside the auburn girl. Grey had "borrowed" some clothes from some bandits he had come across in his escape along with some makeshift blankets for everyone to use (especially for the unconscious Amber), but still had been unable to wash himself off completely. He'd take a quick dip in the river next to them tomorrow, as he had been tired for anything else in the afternoon. He's joined by Alex, who sits at his left.

"Hey" He says tiredly. "How ya holding up?"

"I'm… fine…" She says softly. "Outside of my injured arm… I think I'm fine…"

"That's nice to hear…" Grey says, and brings his hand over the small girl's head, and begins rubbing her. "You were amazing back there"

"…Thank you, Commander" The girl says softly, letting herself be pampered.

"Sorry that this turned out to be such a mess" Grey apologizes, his gaze stony.

The Vault Hunter feels weighed even though they all managed to come out of the arena, because Amber was injured very much. Sure, she was alive and would recover, but Grey found himself having a little argument inside his mind. However, the Vault Hunter pushes these thoughts aside in the end, as they can wait. Right now they are fine, and most importantly, _alive_ , and that was all that mattered.

Grey was completely drained. Today had been hectic if not a complete shitfest, and today's events had escalated quickly into Grey's top list of worst moments in his life. The Vault Hunter still had pushed through everything with all his might even then, yet still, the relativity of time had made him feel like this day had lasted forever.

Grey closes his eyes a little with the intention of resting just for a little while in preparation for his shift, but he soon is taken by Morpheus' snuggly arms. The Vault hunter falls asleep still sitting, and his calm breathe soothes the lilac-haired girl's mind, who also finally gets some real sleep after a hellish week in Capricho, finding herself safe and comfortable next to her Commander's body.

Back on top of the small hill, Oz' soft smile goes unseen by the rest of his companions. He had expected Grey to fall asleep completely, and was sure the choleric young man would stay like that for all night.

"Oh right, before I forget" The redhead mumbles softly as he calls for his ECHO, and from inside it produces a thick bulk, which upon closer inspection results to be cash. The redhead drops from the hill, and with slow, silent steps, walks over to Grey's belongings, and places the bills there.

"I've done a lot of good deeds today" The redhead muses cheerfully for himself.

The moonlight shines in the plains outside of Capricho with a soft blue glow. Oz places some more of wood in the fire and climbs back on top of the small hill, resuming his guard. Tomorrow would be a long day, but for now, this makeshift team of little "heroes" could rest easy.

"Yeah, it feels good to be good"


	12. Green Grass Gradation

_Her heart pounded within her chest._

_"_ __?"_

_She reprimanded herself. Her voice was quivering, and the calling was too forceful as a result. If she hesitated any bit more, they would catch on her._

_"_ _Yes?"_

_She gulps down a bit too apparently. She can't get herself to look at them in the eye._

_Her voice almost breaks when she gets herself to speak, but she pushes on, not breaking, but not without bending a bit at the heaviness that it entails going through._

_And they repeat the same words she's always heard. She wants to believe those words, but she struggles to do so. She knows the meaning of those words, she's heard them before, far too many times for her liking. The answer is what she expects, but it's verily because of that that she feels those words as completely_ _**hollow** _ _._

_"_ _Is it really… true…?"_

_"_ _Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"_

_"_ _It's… nothing…"_

_She was sure at that moment that they didn't believe her. Of course, it was quite strange for someone in her position to be suddenly making questions._

_"_ _Is that really true?"_

_"_ _Y-yes… of course- Please don't concern yourself with me"_

_In reality,_ _**everything** _ _was wrong. The fruits of doubt were cursing her very existence._

_The figures which she was supposed to know, the very fabric of her_ _**existence** _ _as a whole was being put on doubt. The smiles she thought she knew, the burdens she thinks she bears, the responsibility not only with herself, but with her dearest ones as well._

_It all was spiraling out of her reach._

_But she could never even_ **_hope_ ** _to do something about it…_

_Not until someone told her that this nonsense had meaning…_

_No…_

_That wasn't right._

_Not until she_ **_herself_ ** _found this elusive answer to her fears. Not until she knew for real if all of this doubt was founded or just baseless paranoia._

* * *

 

Alex watches with silent intensity the scenery. It's so…

_Green_.

Greener than she expected. _A lot_ more, actually. She didn't really stop to look at it yesterday, due to how tired she had been and the late hour they had left Capricho. Last night was more focused on healing everyone's injuries and resting, but today was another day, and while this morning had been… interesting to say the least, she hadn't taken her time to really appreciate the scenery.

Still, so much green must be some kind of visual pollution.

Even green can cause eye damage, or so some claim.

The lilac-haired girl doesn't say much, but her eyes do not leave the scenery that zooms past her through the window of their vehicle. She observes intently at the various creatures that run wild in the vivid Lush Plains.

However, another bump in the road breaks her concentration. She hears her Commander give a muffled curse under his breath. She tilts her head ever so lightly towards Grey, and sees her Commander frowning.

...Like he's been doing all _goddamn_ morning.

"…not gonna last… Hollows… ngh… no… better to go through the groves… maybe… woods… no, too much shit there…"

Alex slumps her shoulders a bit, giving a weak sigh. It's not that she's really dejected or tired, being that it is more of an involuntary reaction that she still can't place to being part of her personality. Alex turns her attention to the backseat to check on Amber again.

No changes in the auburn, beaten small fry, for better or worse. The auburn girl gives a weak smile, trying to reassure her fellow Kanmusu.

…She still doesn't know what to make of this, to be honest. Perhaps is due to this that she doesn't even really acknowledge the gesture and just redirects her attention to her Commander.

Golden silence is golden.

"…but the hollows… yet again… maybe the route… but then…"

Alex decides to ask, if anything.

"Have you… decided course… sir?" She asks with a poker face.

"Not really" Grey answers dejectedly. "I can't really decide between following the road and crossing through the Buried Groves"

"…Why is that?"

Grey doesn't answer immediately, keeping his eyes on the road and his right hand on the wheel, with his left one rubbing his forehead.

He eventually rests his left elbow on the driver's window, then speaks his mind.

"We can cut a few hours of journey if we go through the Groves. They pass near the woods and through the Plains, and if everything goes right, provided we do move through them, we may save 1 or 2 hours…"

Grey remains pensive for a second before resuming his talk.

"However, with this piece of shit I don't really want risking it. If this thing fails on us on the Groves, we'll get in unnecessary trouble with the Forest Runners"

"Forest…. Runners?" Alex's eyebrows raise if ever so lightly.

"Freaky, fast, furious things. Basically, they have _really_ hard heads, and love to ram into the first thing they see that moves… They're strong enough to wreck even a vehicle like this. While they aren't that big of a problem in small numbers, for some god-forsaken reason, wherever there is one of them, there surely is another nearby… and another nearby that one… and another, and another…"

Alex can't really picture anything due to Grey's _outstanding_ description, but she chooses to believe the young man. He at least _seems_ dependable. _Seems_.

"…Let's just say I've had run-ins with them before… and as we're now, I'd prefer avoiding as many engagements as possible"

Grey keeps his eyes on the road, but Amber doesn't need to be told that it is due to her that the Commander's reconsidering his approach. In a way, she feels displeased at herself for being a burden, but she hasn't said anything yet, not ever since they got into the vehicle.

Add to that that she's too ashamed to even look at her Commander in the eye.

"…I… see" Alex responds unsurely.

"The other option is to take the road as we're doing to the end. It'll take longer, but if we get stranded again, at least we won't have to deal with them. However, the road may lead us to other kind of trouble"

Alex feels intrigued. Of course, her knowledge of Chariot in general's truly lackluster.

"Bandits, before you ask"

And Grey has the decency to not leave her in the shadows. She has to give it to Grey, cynical and rude as he may be, she thinks he's _more or less_ dependable. _More or less_.

She still doesn't understand his need to be so rough, though. He _could_ make use of some delicacy. Of course, being the type of person she was, Alex wouldn't say it aloud unless prompted to. Not out of embarrassment or any form of awkwardness, but simply due to her way of being. Still, there have been some headaches between the three of them in their short journey.

"Are there… no… other…?" Alex's words drift and fade into silence.

Grey waits for a continuation, but there comes none from the small girl. This unwillingness to speak was cause and also part of such headaches.

"You wanna say something?" Grey asks, trying not to let it bother him too much. He has far too many things on his mind right now, and he doesn't need to have the girls having second thoughts.

"It's… nothing… do not… mind me…"

Grey quirks an eyebrow, but otherwise doesn't bother her.

_"_ _Don't think about it… this piece of shit'll take us to Rho without hiccups…"_

…

_"_ _Probably…"_

….

_"_ _Hopefully"_

…..

….

_"_ _I just jinxed it, right? Goddammit, Arkham"_

Grey turns on the radio of the Mammoth. At least music has never failed him…

_Yet_ , at least.

* * *

_About 4 or 5 hours ago…_

Grey wakes up to the ungodly rays of sunshine, the sound of running water and a foreign weight gripping him tightly. Clearing away the morning drowsiness, Grey's first coherent thoughts go into trying to identify whatever is laying upon his torso.

Let it be known, Grey Arkham (wants to think that he) is a cautious guy. Sure, he's not overly careful like the slag-addicts or the lunatics living in the forsaken districts of Lambda or Nu (Those were complete paranoids with a nice coating of crazy. A worrying and growing group of some within the Nu district insisted that their true forms were those of home utensils and that the government stole their real bodies, unleashing a dash among the believers to go stealing irons, mops, dusters and so on from other districts in their effort to "liberate the masses from the conspirator authorities", however, they were known more for their paranoid streaks rather than stealing people's stoves, for some reason), as he's had his fair share of oddities and close brushes with the reaper thanks to some slips (That is, if you consider walking through an Slag-radiated town with a bunch of mutant animals tailing you because you happened to forget your ID for entry to town, or having to deal with slag-addicts altogether as common occurrences), making him believe that sometimes, it is just best to let things come as they do (barring some exceptions, of course, the _sometimes_ was put there deliberately), which is the reason why when he first woke up, he considered in a flash of a thought the possibilities of his situation.

He had been too tired last night to do something (or care, really), and when he fell asleep; he slept in like a rock past his guard turn and until morning, so something clearly must have happened overnight. Being the fatalistic piece of scum he was, Grey's thoughts eventually wandered into the idea that Oz had sold him out to some bandit (which for some reason, didn't sit as unlikely from the usual goer in Chariot). That could be the most likely scenario, barring the most improbable ones (which Grey had to discard with relative effort).

However, the Vault Hunter has to put a break to his increasingly erratic thoughts as he opens his eyes and actually realizes just what is going in reality.

His arms ache a bit, his neck a lot more due to the uncomfortable position he had been sleeping in, and lastly, but none the less important, his torso is numb like a motherfucker and stings a bit, and all of this is due to both Amber and Alex sleeping under his shoulders, glued quite closely to him, and sleeping like goddamn angels. Alex was still sleeping under his left side, like he remembered her doing last night. He had allowed her to do so due to the tiredness and actually not minding the girl doing so.

But Grey didn't remember _Amber_ snuggling up on him last night.

Alex lies with her front towards Grey, her chin resting on the Vault Hunter's left breast and her right arm on top of his belly. Amber on the other side, is deliberately using him as a support/chair, with her head resting against Grey's right breast.

So Grey lies in wait, his brain falling to a figurative blue screen (of failure). His breathing stops cold, until the biological need to breath kicks in and he's forced to release the air (and first coherent thoughts) out of his system.

He blinks once.

He blinks twice.

(He blinks a few too many times for a normal person's comfort).

God, he's liking this- But there's no time for this!

"Girls. Time to wake up" He says once.

No response.

"Goddammit"

The girls keep sleeping peacefully over their Commander's body.

_"_ _Not even Cylia's this clingy"_ Grey thinks humorously for himself, reminding himself of the little sister that he had left back home. _"Except on the weekends. Yep, those days are sleep-in 'til noon"_

However, today's not a weekend, and these girls aren't his sisters, so Grey is forced to move along.

…

Except that it's not bad by any means.

_"_ _Goddammit, Arkham. You really are a wimp when it comes to small girls"_

The Vault Hunter has to kick the image of a grinning Samuel out of his mind. He would never admit it, but the old man knew him well, far too well for his liking.

The waking up and subsequent preparations take far too long. After finding out that Oz had left them at some point during the night also leaving a thick bulk of cash in Grey's possession, the remaining Vault Hunter wasn't sure whether to feel grateful or just annoyed at the contradicting actions of the non-human. The guy came and went away like a fleeting gale.

In the end, Grey decides to shrug it off. If anything, Alex had the means to contact him if needed, but with that said, it would leave a bad taste in Grey's mouth to just call them out after everything that's happened, so he decides he'll leave it for a later date when he has his own ECHO functioning and he's in a better position to talk, both figuratively and literally.

Grey has to make clothing both for the girls and himself, and that is part of what takes him so long. Ultimately, he has to give oversized men's shirts to both girls, as what they had gotten during their impromptu escape yesterday hadn't been exactly hand-picked. With some artfulness from his part (coming from similar experiences due to having to deal with unforeseen events), he tears, cuts away, patches, re-sews (badly) and makes barebones adjustments to give the girls something remotely wearable.

Of course, the girls do make some protests.

"W-we can't use s-such type of clothes, nanodesu"

Alex is more… silent in her disapproval, but still shows it nonetheless.

However, Grey has to remind them.

"It's either this or forgoing your skirts altogether. Pick it or leave it" He deadpans.

The wardrobe malfunctions and shenanigans had never been so real. The damage to both girl's clothes had been severe, leaving them with holes, gashes and tears in almost every single angle imaginable. Alex had had it particularly bad, what with some of them clearly showing her rear guard (a.k.a. her buttocks) and also having to deal with torn panties.

Grey also has a shocking revelation at this time: Neither Amber or Alex wore bras, and instead use bandages to hold their (modest) breasts in place. The reason? Grey never asked, but he wouldn't dare to anyways. However, as scarcely-versed in the female physiology (or biology in general. Grey was more interested in ways to ending life rather than dealing with it anyways) as he may be, he knows (mainly from experience with Cylia) that a girl needs her undies.

Actually, both girls woke up with said bandages for the first time anyways. Amber for her part decided to forego them during her time in Granberia, thinking that she didn't need them, while Alex had never really taken care of her own person due to her spending her first days of activity in Capricho.

God, thinking about it, these girls have had it rough.

But, back to the point. Beggars can't be choosers, so both girls have to take these makeshift rags with them, lest they go around flashing themselves.

It doesn't need to be said that the girls aren't particularly happy about it.

With the clothing issues solved, the group moves into another matter. Not one particularly pressing to some eyes, but the trio decides that it is time for a quick wash. With enough dirt and filth to raise an island (not really) and digging into their nails, at least the girls need to conserve some dignity in the form of a (somewhat) clean body.

Grey takes the initiative and his shirt and shoes off, and dips into the cold water of the river, and scrubs his aching body with chilly hands. He takes only a few minutes as he only washes his upper half and feet. He wasn't a stranger to surviving in the wilderness, so he did have to make some… rather Spartan decisions before.

But he has to admit that he gets second thoughts when he reaches for the belt at his pants and something just makes him stop. He doesn't turn his gaze to the girls, but then he would've seen the faintest shade of pink in their faces.

Not that his face was any better. His shade of red becomes evident once he realizes what he's about to do.

The Vault Hunter doesn't take much longer than he needs to, and heeds the girls to follow his example. Grey feels the need to help wash the girls in the river in some way. Of course, there is reluctance within the involved. Namely, Grey and Amber.

But when Amber makes a rash movement with her right arm, she doubles over and produces a high screech.

**"** **Amber!?"** Grey cries when he sees the girl's pained face. The young man rushes to aid the auburn girl, who's holding her left side with both hands, as she whimpers in distress.

It takes Grey far too long to realize that it's the auburn girl's ribs, which _should_ have healed overnight. The young man lightly moves his fingers over the girl's aching side, and while the bone structure seems fine at first glance, he couldn't really dare tell without any form of seeing them directly.

"Motherfucker…" Grey curses. "I really need to get the mask repaired…"

The X-Ray function of his Visor would allow him to get a clear verdict of Amber's condition. But of course, said device is not working at the moment. Just like whenever he really needs it.

Grey makes Amber lay down on the grass, and pushes down a needle in the tiny girl's body with a swift motion. Amber doesn't even realize that her Commander pinches her with an Anshin medi-kit.

The minutes take too long to pass. Amber sobs and breathes irregularly during this time. Once about 3 or so minutes pass, Grey finally speaks.

"How are you feeling?" He asks in a serious tone.

"I don't feel… well" Amber responds.

"This shouldn't be happening…" Grey mutters.

Alex quirks an eyebrow at this, though her eyes remain as impassive as ever.

"Your ribs should've healed overnight… You shouldn't have any problems, I administered the Rejuvinators and Kits…" Grey drones, his face hardening. "This doesn't make any sense"

He then turns towards Alex.

"Alex, how is your arm?" His voice becomes harsh.

The girl shows him her bandaged right arm. She moves it sideways, then up-

And she flinches, if ever so slightly.

"Why…?" Grey frowns.

"I can move it" Alex assures.

"That's not the point" The Vault Hunter retorts, scratching his forehead in frustration. "The medi-kits **should** 've healed _all_ of your injuries overnight, but they clearly **haven't**. As long as it isn't fatal, a medi-kit can fix broken bones and even heal minor organ damage and put you up like nothing's happened, granted that your brain's functional enough initiate the plasma processing, and a Rejuvinator can fasten the healing process enough to heal anything in a manner of minutes, hours at most, so **why** are the two of you still hurt?"

"Perhaps the kits have been adultered?" Alex suggests calmly.

"How?" Grey counters. "We got them clean out of the vending machine"

Alex doesn't really know what to say to that.

"I mean, **why** would anyone go through the trouble to do that, anyway?" Grey goes on. "Hacking the machines **is** pretty impossible, and I'm sure there ain't a single mofo who can do something like that in Capricho"

"I do not follow, sir" Alex says honestly.

Grey then has to remind himself that neither of these girls really know how Chariot works.

"Amnesia, right" Grey grunts, and takes a deep breath.

"All right, you girls, both of you" He addresses both girls, who immediately give their attention to him, even Amber, who's wincing in discomfort. "Remind me to give you a crash course on how to live a semi-decent-slash-safe-slash- _hopefully_ -long life in Chariot when we're clear of all this bullshit, okay?"

"H-hai…?" Amber is the only one to respond, and does it unsurely at that.

"Good enough" Grey responds, and with a firmness that wasn't present before, he motions Alex to pass him the bag from which they had previously picked their new clothings. "Alex, I'll need you to gather some sticks and see if there is any other first-aid stuff in the bag there. I'm gonna patch both of you up"

"Hai, Shirei-kan" Alex responds, a tiny spark igniting in her eyes.

For some reason she couldn't fully place, she liked it somewhat when Grey got serious like this. He had shown her this side of him during their incident at Capricho when they found themselves cornered by the impossible monster Homero, and Grey flashed her a smile she still couldn't describe.

She still didn't really know what to think of the Vault Hunter, and they've had too few interactions as of now.

She'd have to wait a little bit more.

* * *

"12 grands 'r no deal"

"You've gotta be shitting me. This is a scam, you know? A SCAM!"

"Pal, I gotta 'siness ta run, ya dig me? 'An't go 'round offering charity to 'ny chump 'at comes 'round. 'Sides, shit's been rough late, what 'ith 'em friggin' pirates n' bandits. 'S not like movin' on land's an easy job nowadays, ya dig me?"

"That's beside the point, dammit" Grey rubs the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You want 12 fucking grands for a piece of scrap that I can get in any goddamn station from around Iota or even Kappa, freaking **KAPPA** of all places, and for a little less than, hear me, 8 grands. **EIGHT**. **FUCKING. GRANDS,** goddammit! What you're doing here isn't business, oh no, _pal_ , it is goddamn theft!"

He didn't have that much money. Not 8 and even less 12 thousand bucks… but the other party didn't need to know.

The bulky dealer takes evident offense to Grey's words.

Out of an unseen corner, one of the assistants observes the situation with fearful eyes.

"Pal, ya really **don't** know how shit works, do ya?" Otto, the owner growls. "Ya know 'at A-Rogue's got ta monopoly on 'em vehicles in this god-forsaken, rottin' piece 'a shit planet. Ta get runnin' a _legal_ car business ain't easy 'round here. 'Sides, 'is ain't fuckin' Kappa. Ya wanna real scam? Go 'ere, I ain't lowerin' anythin'"

"Give me a fucking break!" Grey practically screams. "I'm not asking for a motherfucking Steeler! This is a freaking Mammoth-T, and one quite crappy at that! This isn't even a Model 6, it's a goddamn 3!"

"Pal, Imma really shoot ya in yer face if ya don't stop spurting bull. Mah merch's in da best 'a shapes ya can find 'round!"

Grey's patience is about to hit limit. The assistant begins really considering bailing his ass out. He's got enough of dealing with these bandits. But before Grey can say anything in response, the bulky man begins speaking.

"However… I did see 'a bike ya got with ya…" He says with an unpleasant grin, eyeing the vehicle in question with predatory eyes through his security camera, then switches his focus to the girls standing nearby said vehicle. The gaze of the man sends shiver down Alex's spine. "That a Blue Star? Ye can get a pretty penny for somethin' like that"

"Not a Star, a Booster. A custom Blue Booster. And no, it's not for sale" Grey responds.

"A Mark-IV?"

"No" Grey says quickly, then regrets letting it slip so easily, both this negation and the specifications of his vehicle before it. "…Mark-III"

"Not bad. Not bad at all… Looks mighty fine actually…" The older man responds, then goes quiet for a few seconds, but eventually speaks again. "Say, let's strike a deal"

"A… deal?" Grey shows clearly that he's not buying it.

The bulky man turns on a smoke, causing unpleasant memories to resurface in Grey's mind, most of them which included Polo. After turning it on and exhaling a couple of times, he looks at Grey with an unpleasant, cocky smile.

"Tis' hard to live 'round Chariot nowadays, ain't it?" The owner says. "Lotsa trouble, 'ith 'em bandits and all kinds a' creeps roamin' free and no one ta stop 'em"

Grey's suspicion is only rising.

"Ey, don't look a' me like 'at" Otto says, aware of Grey's distrusting glare. "I'm only sayin' 'at nowadays it's hard ta get trustworthy friends on ya. What 'ith 'em crazies shootin' everythin' 'n sight whenevah and wherevah 'ey go. Ya can never know 'en some asshole 'ill shoot ya in ta back…"

"You don't say…"

The Commander and dealer continue on and on in a non-transcendent conversation Alex can't follow. She's been trying to keep an ear in the conversation, but her efforts haven't really been successful, with the sound of tools blasting without mercy at every possible second. The girl looks around the "store" (as the owner so proudly puts, neither she nor Grey thought of it as so), feeling inclined to agree with her Commander's thoughts before he had entered. None of the metallic bulks seem dependable, much less secure, with the evidently missing parts, weird smell coming from their insides, and what she refuses to believe to be remains of human corpses within some of the trunks (Some of them didn't even have complete doors or wheels, goddammit!). She spies out of the corner of her eye how the sweating assistant moves with slow steps towards the exit, horror filling his features with each passing step.

_"_ _Stay out" Grey had said._

_"_ _No" Amber refused with as much defiance she could muster. "At least… let us… stay near…"_

_"_ _Goddammit, Amber" Grey gave up._

_"_ _And please, please try not to fight…"_

_"_ _Won't make any promises"_

She dismisses the event; that guy's a total wimp, and she can see it. Alex then shifts her focus to one of the nearby vehicles, a small sedan with a rusted chassis. With sheer curiosity poking the back of her head, the lilac-haired girl approaches slowly at the old thing.

"Alex…san?" She hears the weak call of her name.

…

This one doesn't even have a seat!

_"_ _Er…"_

"Is… something… wrong?" Amber says weakly from her position, supporting her own weight with the help of Grey's Hydro-bike. The auburn girl cannot really move on her own, but she desperately refuses to let that bother neither her Commander nor Alex. The bandages that fill her upper body under her clothes restrict her movements, but she can't afford to not use them.

Alex decides to follow the creeping instinct of self-preservation and gets away from the vehicle. She can swear it _rattled_. She feels inclined to draw the Scoria Aegis holstered on her right thigh, as her fingers move close to the handle; soon her hand is ready to take it out, until her fingers are gripping the handle firmly. Amber for her part wobbles a bit, as she hesitates to reach out for Alex, for her damaged body restricts her. She could barely walk on her own.

In the end Alex decides to flee and retreat back to Grey's Hydro-bike, the only vehicle she knows won't suddenly come to life and jump at her or something… Amber observes the events unfold without really putting strength to her actions, more because she can't rather than not wanting to.

Alex then turns her gaze again back to the inside of the store, and she doesn't like what she sees, or lack of thereof. Grey hadn't come out yet.

She would reconsider her options.

"'Em gals. Could use some pretty faces around 'ere fer… y'know… advertising… Lend 'em to me fer a couple 'a days and-"

"No" Grey responds fiercely, feeling inclined to reach for the Strife and do the talking just as he originally wanted to: With bullets.

There comes a few seconds of silence. Even the assistants stop their work and look in the direction of their boss, until the silence is broken by the owner of the store.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughs with a cacophonic, unpleasant voice.

With a movement of his hand, Grey is slowly but surely surrounded by the owner's assistants (all minus one), all of them armed with small guns, metal rods, and even a few of the tools that could be used as weapons.

"Kid" The owner says, diverted by something Grey would understand in just a minute. "Methinks ya don't understand somethin' here"

The owner leans in Grey's direction, and with a wide grin, speaks again.

"Ya don't have a say in this"

The owner's grunts then begin laughing mockingly at Grey, making jabs and bad jokes among themselves.

"Yer askin' for a big vehicle, kid. The fee's gotta be proportional, ya dig me?"

Grey doesn't respond at that, and instead sighs in annoyance. The young man then walks towards the four-wheeled vehicle that is the cause of his headaches and at the same time, his solution. The owner lets him do so with a smug grin, observing the young man walk with tired steps, and believing him to have become resigned to at least try to see what he'd be getting out (or not, in the end. What, business is business), he doesn't mind the inspection of the vehicle.

The Vault Hunter then flings the front of the humongous car open to reveal the messy interior that is the motor, his patience having hit bottom.

"Hah, fucking knew it" Grey grunts tiredly as he inspects the components of the motor.

"The valves aren't original… and neither is the distributor. The compressor is too small, probably some cheap R-Type knockoff… What the hell happened to the core?" Grey pushes on with the remarks of what he considers to be vehicular murder.

Grey may be no expert, but he does know the basic gist of it, thanks to a mechanic nut back at Rho, who made him help them (with a lot of reluctance) at repairing different types of vehicles during his stay there. Thanks to his experience and guidance of the expert, Grey learned what to look for when inspecting a car.

And that knowledge comes to be especially handy in Chariot, where assholes are far too many.

"…and I don't even want to know what the hell you did to the computer. Was the O.S. mangled with? How's the transmission? How're the breaks? Hell if I know"

With each of the Vault Hunter's assertions, the merchant's smile fades away little by little, until it is left into an angry scowl.

Grey finally closes the lid of the Mammoth-T, and sighs in irritation.

"This shit isn't worth a damn" He growls, digging daggers with his eyes at the exasperated owner.

"Why you piece a'-"

"I don't-" Grey interrupts, but he also doesn't get to say anything else.

With a blinding speed, Grey draws out the Strife and shoots down two of the lackeys, one with each shot. The assistants then look for a moment among themselves, as they fail to understand _how_ two if their numbers suddenly fell down when it should have been Grey the one to tumble down. Trails of smoke fume from the nozzle of the Strife, and Grey lazily cocks the barrel open to let the empty shells out, clearly focused on the matter at hand.

At that moment another assistant tries to shoot him with his Dahl SMG, but Grey is faster than him and draws his Repeater, and takes aim for his head. The third lackey falls limply to the ground, following the example of his two comrades before him, who had also been slower than Grey.

"W-what da-" The owner doesn't get to finish his sentence as Grey shoots him with the handgun again. Otto's shield breaks, and even though he doesn't receive any damage, he quickly falls in panic.

The lackeys shriek in total disarray. Some of them drop their weapons and run, others simply engage into a firefight, others try to take cover, others stand idly in place, awestruck. Grey focuses his attention first on the ones that are shooting. One of them fires his Jakobs shotgun, and effectively, the bullets break Grey's shield, but before they can realize that there was no damage, the shield is already repairing itself, and Grey's already jumped out of the crossfire that engulfs the shop.

"I guess I really don't have manners, after all…" Grey mutters sardonically behind his cover. "Bah"

Bullets fly out and the assistants scram. Grey manages to spy the owner retreating behind the counter at the edge of the room, then shouts orders at the assistants. Grey notes that most of them aren't even wearing proper gear, what with the lack of shields or any form of digistructing equipment. Either they are really stupid, naïve, both, or they've just really begun their working life.

Grey is then pushed down to the ground by a speeding Alex, who tackles him without warning before the bullets pierce through his unassuming back. The bullets from a Bandit Assault Rifle graze him form multiple angles, but due to the low accuracy and even worse firepower from the cheap weapon, Grey's shield manages to hold out, and once he spots his assailant who fails to take cover, the Vault Hunter kills him with the second shot of the Strife.

"Be more careful, Commander!" Alex reprimands.

**"** **OFFA MAH STORE, YA SHITHEAD!"** The merchant screams in rage from somewhere in the store, bullets flying in the air.

"Motherfucker…" Grey growls angrily, disregarding Alex's concern, and then reloads the Strife.

The sound of gunshots riot in the open-air store more times from more angles, but Grey quickly retaliates. Grey runs in a crouch among the various vehicles that lay lined up near to him, followed closely by a swift Alex. Grey moves two cars to the right, and then peeks from the side of a yellow WM-Tank, a two-seat vehicle better suited for a trip to the mountains (provided the motor and components were intact, which most surely weren't considering the state the aforementioned Mammoth was in) to shoot one of the shells from the Strife. The awkward spread pattern doesn't hit his aggressor, who takes cover again.

"Alex, why are you here!? I told you to stay with Amber!" Grey growls angrily, directing his attention to the girl.

She doesn't respond.

"What're you doing!?" Grey shrieks again, his mood clearly not improving. "Don't leave Amber alone!"

He then peeks out again. However, as soon as his hair so much shows out from his crouching position, bullets fly into the air again, forcing him to duck again.

"Goddammit, Alex" Grey sighs when he still sees her with him, clearly intent on engaging the enemies alongside him.

Grey gives a nasty glare to the girl.

"Go with Amber" He orders sternly. "I'll catch you later. Get as far away from here as possible"

He only has to say it once. Alex doesn't complain nor retort anything to him, but Grey doesn't get to see the lilac-haired girl's change in expression. Even Alex herself doesn't get to understand the emotion she feels at that moment.

However, orders are orders. With some reluctance but no words coming out from her mouth, Alex dashes out.

"You're really gonna crash this whole place just to get me out?" Grey scoffs sardonically, prompting more blind shots. "Some business model you got going here!"

Glass shatters, metal is pierced, and the smell of gunpowder mixes with the already disgusting stench that fills the shop.

"Fuckin' customer service"

* * *

Amber yelps when she hears the gunshots. Couldn't her Commander interact with anyone without it ending in gunfire!?

The auburn girl crouches reflexively behind Grey's Hydro-bike, and the suddenness of the action causes her injuries to sting. She brings her left hand to her lower torso, and trembles at the feeling that her still-healing ribs give at the touch. Gulping down through the nausea, she does her best to overpower her aching senses. She peeks from a side, but she cannot see much due to the vehicles obstructing her view. However, she does spy a lanky male running for dear life outside while screaming something about the pay not being enough and going back to the countryside or something like that.

Alex had jumped out without warning as soon as the first shot was fired, and Amber had had no time to say anything.

Not that she would have done anything different. If she weren't so injured, she would have darted out just like Alex had done.

The situation quickly spirals down into a shootout, and Amber quivers against the cold metal of the Hydro-bike, which she uses as protection and sanctuary. She quivers and trembles both due to the dizziness caused by her injuries, and the by-now familiar sensation of fear.

Oh, fear. Her first acquaintance ever since her awakening in this forsaken planet.

Her legs weigh a ton, her stomach wallows and cripples her. Her headache doesn't help at all. Her arms do not budge. She can't cover her ears or close her eyes. She's paralyzed. She can't even scream.

Amber gives out a mute scream when a hand reaches out for her shoulder.

"It's me…" Alex calls in her usual monotone. Amber eventually calms down once she identifies the lilac-haired Ship Girl, but it takes far too much for either's liking.

"Where is the Commander, Alex-san?" Amber asks worriedly.

"He… ordered me to come back… here" Alex answers.

"W-what!?" Amber jumps in place, but is interrupted by her aching body. "D-did you leave him… b-behind, nanodesu?"

Alex doesn't respond, looking away from Amber.

"A-Alex-san?" Amber cannot get to see the lilac-haired girl's face, but she could swear that she just saw a glimpse of one particular emotion before she looked away.

"We should… stay out until the Commander finishes his… business…" Alex articulates forcefully. Her voice is quivering, and it is showing, regardless of how much she tries to hide it.

"B-but…" Amber tries to retort, wincing at the sound of more gunshots.

"We are to leave this place" Alex says in monotone. "I'll bring the Commander's bike-"

"W-we can't… we can't… leave the Commander… alone!" Amber says desperately between pants.

Alex doesn't say anything, and begins pushing the Hydro-bike away from the place. Moving with tiny steps while still crouching, the lilac-haired girl makes her way.

Amber tightens her tiny fists. She can't stand being so impotent, she can't stand the feeling of uselessness. But more than anything, she can't stand herself for not doing anything about it, for not _being able_ of doing anything about it.

* * *

 

It is about 10 or so minutes after that that Amber and Alex shriek in unison at the sound of shattering glass. From one of the windows (That also barely had any glass in its frame in the first place) of "Otto's Car Rental" comes flying the bulky body of titular owner, crashing into the ground with an unpleasant sound. Amber and Alex stand in disturbed silence at the sight of the older man who lies widespread across the grass.

The two girls stand still for a few seconds, processing and trying to guess what exactly had happened.

"Hey" Grey calls hoarsely, clearly shaken by the altercation he had been engaged in. The young man is slumped with his left arm against his left knee, while his right hand holds the Strife with its barrel flung open. It takes some seconds for the young man to catch his breath, but he eventually sets new bullets into the shotgun, locks it and then puts it behind his back, then he shows his left hand to the girls, a set of keys hanging from the ring in his middle finger.

"Got ourselves a ride" The Vault Hunter says with a victorious, and quite shaken grin.

The two girls stare dumbfounded for some instants, but it is Amber the first one to say something.

"C-Commander!" She cries forcefully, dragging herself to the best of her abilities towards the young man. "A-Are you alright, nanodesu?"

"Don't mind me" Grey dismisses. "How about you? How're you feeling?"

"Y-you're not hurt? You weren't shot?" Amber inspects her Commander.

"I'm fine, I'm fine" Grey replies. "I got a few scratches, but nothing major"

"Where?" Amber forgets about her own injuries and begins inspecting him, running her fingers through the male's torso and arms.

"Hey hey, slow down!" Grey grunts in alarm at the touch. "You're the one that needs to take it easy, not me!"

Amber ignores Grey's complaints and identifies some gashes and bruises in his skin, mostly in his arms. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have any bullet holes, as he insists, but the worry still moves Amber to try and help her Commander nonetheless.

"Was it really necessary for it to end in a gunfight, nanodesu?" Amber cries.

"They shot first, mom. Or at least tried to, I guess" Grey sighs with mild irritation, shaking Amber off. "But that's beside the point, we can finally get outta here"

"Comman-"

"We could stay here and argue all day" Grey interrupts. "But thing is, that I don't like standing idle like a moron. Now, I need you to be quiet while I get the fuel. We're getting outta here and that's that"

"But Commander, why-"

"I don't want to hear it, Amber. I was getting tired of their shit anyway" Grey doesn't stay to listen the rest of it.

Amber gives a shallow breath, and eventually follows her Commander into the building.

* * *

 

**Omake: The day Alex got around to figuring out _some_ of the elusive things that an ECHO can do.**

"Would you do me a favor?" Grey asks suddenly.

Both Amber and Alex are taken aback by Grey's words.

The following answer takes too long to come for Grey's liking.

"…Excuse me?" Alex asks, confused by her Commander's… politeness.

"Y-yes, Commander?" Amber for her part takes longer to react, freezing momentarily.

"Actually, I think I need you in particular, Al" Grey says after a moment of thought. Behind him, Amber stares into space.

"I…" Alex trails off.

"Hey, you with me?" Grey asks hoarsely.

"I… yes, of course, Commander" Alex shakes her head sideways, as if dispelling some sort of confusion or hesitation from herself. "What do you need?"

"I need you to check the map. I think we're better off checking an actual thing instead of relying solely on my memory of the place" The Vault Hunter elaborates.

Alex takes yet again a moment to answer. Since Grey is keeping his eyes on the road, he doesn't see that Alex is inspecting around the car's interior until another while has passed.

"I'm afraid there are no maps within this vehicle, sir" Alex says solemnly after a time.

"Buh- I mean…" Grey babbles. "But you got the map, Oz gave them to you last night"

Alex blinks once, then twice, then turns her eyes to a side.

"I'm afraid I do not follow, sir"

It is now Grey's turn to be baffled.

"I- buh- what?" Grey continues blabbing in puzzlement.

"I never received any maps"

The Mammoth-T comes to a stop. Grey drives out of the road, and parks the humongous vehicle in the grass. The stop doesn't come as smoothly as he'd like to, since he isn't really accustomed to driving big vehicles, and add to that the fact that this particular one's specifications weren't exactly desirable.

The large space of the Mammoth was paying off in one way or another. These weren't military-grade Transport units for nothing (Hence the T in Mammoth, and as crappy as this particular iteration of it may be).

Once the vehicle is lodged to the ground, Grey addresses the lilac-haired girl again.

"Oz transferred his data to you last night, and I'm sure I saw the maps for this whole area last night"

"And I'm telling you sir, I never received _any_ form of maps last night"

Silence.

Grey raises one finger and opens his mouth, but then closes his mouth, giving a deep frown. He eventually opens it up again to speak.

"I think we're not in the same frequency here" He says. "For starters, why haven't you opened the freaking ECHO?"

"My… ECHO?" Alex asks, with what seems to be bewilderment… or realization, is it?

"Yes, _your_ ECHO" Grey sighs in irritation.

Alex calls the holographic screen on, then looks at her Commander with an impassive expression.

Grey had to give it to her. The girl knew how to keep a poker face.

"Switch tabs?" Grey articulates forcefully, containing the urge to facepalm.

The girl slides her fingers, and with honest amazement, she finds that the blue interface changes to give place to a new display. However, it isn't the one she's supposed to be seeing.

"Other side" Grey sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The girl swipes her palm twice to the right, and then once more. She finally finds what she's supposed to be seeing. A screen displaying some form of map lights her face, and she can see on it an arrow.

"C-Commander…" Alex asks, her voice quivering even though she tries to keep her face neutral.

The girl's breathing becomes somewhat erratic, and she abruptly turns her face towards her Grey, her eyes beaming with a mixture of marvel and disbelief.

**"** **W-what sort of sorcery is this!?"**

"Pfft-!"

Grey is unable to contain his laughter, which comes out as it comes most natural to him: obnoxious, sardonic and slightly patronizing. However, he has to admit that she looks so _goddamn cute_ when she's out of the loop. Alex remains in place with a face that falters between the amazement that she feels at her recent discovery and the frustration that Grey's taunting laugh gives her.

However, it is not only Grey who laughs, but also, he's soon joined by Amber, who giggles with a tiny voice. Her laugh contrasts against Grey's with her melodious, kind tone that does not patronize anyone and just rings heartily in honest enjoyment.

Grey rubs his chin with a grin on his face.

"Remind me to give you that crash course later. You look like you really need it, Al"

That day, Alex got to learn that indignation came in many ways. Even a freaking holographic screen.


	13. Eternal Struggle

Amber's common sense worked quite differently from her Commander's; that had become apparent the more they interacted, the more she got to see the Vault Hunter speak and act. Amber wanted to think that there was something fundamentally _wrong_ in this foreign world she had come to know (or rather, had been forced to as there were no other alternatives) in her awakening weeks ago, as a place she couldn't fully digest or think of as a _logical_ existence. Maybe logical wasn't the correct term, if she were to think deeply about it, common sense and normalcy are terms defined by the many, not the individual, and as of late, what she viewed as this so called _ordinary_ or customary often ended up being different from what the natives of Chariot's defined as what is usual.

Shootouts have been far too many for her taste.

Lunatics are far too common for comfort.

Insanity and horror fill almost every corner of her life.

And the worst part? She has no way out of this. She's forced to travel with strange companions in a strange land on a strange quest she knows next to nothing about. The auburn girl recalls her first real conversation with her Commander, back when he found her on that island (Which she learned later was simply called Round Island #61; the name was an uninspired as it could get, she thought), and she recalls the points that the Vault Hunter had given her about _what_ he was (and still is) doing.

The quest for the Vault. The term struck her as unfamiliar, but more important than that, she feels an obligation inside her to help Grey follow it through, although she found herself questioning her own motives sometimes. The auburn girl had a hard time dealing with things as it was, what with her evidently different customs from the aquatic planet, her morals that kept giving headaches to her Commander and all that… but… There was a little other something inside her head that pushed her on.

Obligation. A sense of obligation that she couldn't get around to understand yet. An unconscious impulse to just stay with Grey and do what she was asked. It has been like that ever since the beginning; no matter how much she hates doing something, if Grey orders her to do it, she will follow through.

But… she would be lying if she said that she stayed with her Commander only out of obligation as his Kanmusu.

To be perfectly honest, she is terrified of Chariot as a whole. Again, too much scary shit to deal with: Shootouts, monsters, bandits, lunatics… She has stayed with Grey not only because of a subconscious feeling she can't explain… but due to the sensation of safety the Commander gave, as strange as it may sound. She didn't really know what pushed her more to do so: the sense of obligation, or the sense of safety.

She had realized this ever since Granberia. Seeing her Commander almost die put her on an edge that she hadn't liked in the least. She felt tiny and impotent at all times, she hated the sensation and still does, which pushes her powerless self to be of use to Grey… and has failed in every single occasion up until now.

She still didn't know the full details of what happened in Capricho after she lost consciousness, but from what she could gather from Alex's words, Grey had almost killed himself trying to save them. She recalled what happened prior to the crash, how she refused to listen to Grey, and how that got herself injured like this.

And she blames herself. She hates herself for being so useless.

She despises herself, however, like any living being, in the end, she refuses to die. Her mind often wanders into the thought of telling her Commander to just discard her, that she's giving him too much problems… that he's better off not having to deal with her… that kind of thoughts.

But ultimately, she can't do it. Her instinct of self-preservation, the safety (both physical and psychological) that Grey means to her is too much to let go of. He protects her, she realizes. Something tells her that it should be the other way around, but in the end, it is always Grey protecting her. And she despises it. So with dark feelings on her mind, she pushes on, with an ever increasing guilt weighing her down.

And fear wouldn't ever let her just die off. She'd keep her life as desperately as she could. Was it the instinct of self-preservation, or was it her sense of obligation with her Commander? She didn't know, to be honest, she didn't know and didn't want to think about it.

However, she felt that it was the right thing to do, to stay alive. In the deepest corners of her mind, she didn't think of this to be for her Commander's goals, but due to the feeling that she may get to know more "Ship Girls" like herself should she follow this through. Because curiosity piqued her young mind to know who or what she is.

Destroyer Amber, part of Grey Arkham's fleet, would keep serving until her body gave out… or her Commander had no use for her.

And the thought of Grey having no use for her terrified her, almost as much as dying.

Yes. Amber feared that Grey would ever tell her that he didn't want her anymore, and until now, she had never been of use to her Commander. Not when they first met and were ambushed by bandits, not when they went in Capricho and almost got themselves killed in the arena, and not now, with her badly injured self and incapability of fighting or being of any help whatsoever.

Amber didn't know what terrified her more. Death or vainness.

Curiosity, fear and obligation were what pushed little Amber back then.

* * *

"Don't say it"

The girl keeps silent…

"We should've followed the groves-"

…For a moment.

"GODDAMMIT, ALEX!" Grey cries angrily, and kicks the side of the Mammoth. The old metal manages to hold out to the force, and gives Grey an unneeded pain in the toes of his right foot. "SONUVABITCH!"

Alex keeps an unreadable poker face. Whether she enjoyed his suffering or not, Grey didn't know, nor had the disposition to find out, instead focusing his efforts to subside the pain of his aching toes.

Alex then investigates their bag of supplies, and from within it produces another Medi-kit, which she offers her Commander with a positively and completely impassive expression. Grey doesn't try to hide his annoyance.

The Vault Hunter digs daggers to the lilac-haired girl with his eyes. A Medi-kit may fix his injuries, but not his ego.

But, it serves him right. Of course they should have followed the shortest path, but the Vault Hunter thought it easy to rush across the main road with a crappy vehicle that wasn't made for speeding…

With bandits giving chase.

The Mammoth-T gave out once Grey hit the 140 km per hour mark, and the motor basically burst out in flames. The bullets that hit them didn't help either.

Grey is kicking himself mentally over and over again.

_"_ _The valves aren't original… and neither is the distributor. The compressor is too small, probably some cheap R-Type knockoff… What the hell happened to the core?"_

And of course, when the whole thing was about to collapse on itself, the computer didn't tell him, courtesy of the hackings done to the Operating System.

"Overconfidence can be any man's downfall" Grey says in a sagely manner with a raised finger, but his peaceful mien quickly breaks down into an irritated scowl. His hand then curls to a fist with a few too many veins popping out of his skin. "GRRRAAAAAH!"

To be perfectly honest, Alex is diverted by her Commander's frustration, although her expression remains as impassive as ever. Grey pumps both his arms into the air, then back down again to scratch his head in immense frustration.

"AND WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" He screams when one of the surviving bandits takes a run for his money.

"FUCK THIS SHIT! I'M OUT!" The bandit screams, until he topples down to the ground, his left leg shot by Grey's Repeater. "I'M OUT!"

When his gang of bandits saw a transport vehicle moving across the Trihorn Route, they thought they had gotten themselves easy money.

Moving through the main roads is always a dangerous idea, because they are sure to be either occupied by bandits or at least have some of them keeping watch on them. It's not unheard of for someone to be assaulted in the middle of a perfectly normal travel. Swift hit & runs are one of the preferred methods to get easy loot. Not much effort, not a lot of resources wasted, and the success rate is usually high (When compared to other methods).

But they didn't expect a freaking _Rocket Launcher_ to be their response. They had expected some bullets and resistance, maybe even a grenade, perhaps a bit of forceful movements from the vehicle; in their overconfidence they thought they could easily seize such a large car with minimal effort. But what they did not expect was for some crazy mofo to suddenly come out of the roof of the Mammoth and blow up their asses with a triple-barreled Rocket Launcher.

The fight ended in a manner of seconds. Grey's first shot completely destroyed the first Bandit Technical vehicle in the center, and the subsequent explosion killed most of the bike-riders as they were engulfed in a sea of flames. The second shot hit the ground near the second Technical, causing the vehicle to jump uncontrollably into the air. The bikers had to disperse to avoid being crushed under the vehicle. The two Technicals and about 5 or so bikers died instantly, with the rest fleeing after crossing paths with such bad luck.

Grey had to admit, he loved his Rocket Launchers. If he weren't such an ass he'd have thanked Otto for keeping his guns in such good conditions (but the same couldn't be said of his cars). The Vault Hunter had looted the whole shop before leaving it, and there he had found fuel, bullets and a couple of nice guns for the journey back to Rho. The rare Torgue Deee! Launcher that Grey had found was so far one of the best things that had happened to him in the last weeks. The massive thing would be entering Grey's bag as soon as he got his ECHO functioning.

Hey, it wasn't every day that you come across fine-quality weaponry like this.

But this Rocket Launcher wouldn't be getting him anywhere near his destination. Grey had to stop the Mammoth-T before it blew up. Once things were over, the first thing he did was take out the extinguisher in the trunk and take out the neon green flames that burned from the motor.

And, true to his luck, the Mammoth was now truly a piece of scrap. Practically nothing could be salvaged from the motor, and the rest of the vehicle wasn't in good conditions to begin with. It was a miracle that it had taken them this far.

"MY LEG! MY FUCKING LEEEEEEG!" The bandit whimpers miserably, doubling over his own body again. Grey turns his gaze towards him, intent of getting something out of his troubles.

The Vault Hunter approaches the bandit with a nasty scowl on his face.

"Boo-hoo" Grey mocks.

"Y-you motherfucker… do you know who you're dealing with!?" The bandit screams angrily.

"No" Grey responds in a beastly manner. "And to be perfectly honest, I don't care"

Grey now finally stands right over the fallen criminal.

"You know, I've had a fairly crappy share of things happening to me recently" Grey elaborates gruffly. "And to be perfectly honest, I'm not in the best of moods right now. So you have two options. Two simple options"

Grey sets the Repeater in his hand to burst mode, then motions the handgun towards the bandit's shin and fires three rounds with one squeeze of his finger. Needless to say, the bandit screams at the relentless burning lead that pierces his already injured leg.

Grey then speaks again.

"Option one: You tell us where your base is and you die, or two: I shoot you until you tell me where the base is and you die"

He bandit screams until he can't do so anymore.

"You've got five seconds before I shoot again" Grey says impassively.

"W-what the fuck are you- **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!** "

And the bandit is interrupted before he can finish, as Grey fires again into his legs.

"That wasn't a number" Grey growls.

At his side, Alex gives a sigh.

"Commander, why are you trying to get information out of this bandit?" She asks, her voice as impassive as her face.

"Not now, Al" Grey responds. "I'm trying to be intimidating here"

"…Mighty job you're doing, Commander" The girl responds, shrugging her shoulders in an uncaring manner.

"…Was that sarcasm just now, Alex?" Grey turns his face towards the girl, incredulity beaming in his face.

"…Maybe"

"Goddammit, Alex" Grey almost grins.

"W-what the fuck is wrong with you!?" The bandit cries from the ground. "You fuckers don't know who you're… dealing… with…"

The bandit's voice fades into silence as his aggressors give him their attention again.

Alex then tilts her head to a side ever so slightly, cold blue eyes looking into his soul.

The Vault Hunter redirects his attention to him as well, and his expression is far livelier than his companion's, but it's precisely because of that that the bandit shivers.

The bandit shrinks a bit… before being shot again.

**"** **YAAAAARRRGHHHH!"**

Alex gazes towards her Commander's direction again. Grey eventually caves in.

"Alright, I'll bite. What do you want to say?"

"If you really want information from him… why do you keep shooting?"

"Because I'm _really_ stressed right now"

There comes a second of silence, until it is broken by the lilac-haired girl, all with a simple…

"…Oh"

Grey scratches his head in exasperation.

"…That was all you had to say?" He asks with a scowl.

She remains pensive for a moment as well.

"…Yes"

"Alright then" The young man directs his attention to the bandit again.

"Now, where were we?"

* * *

Bandits usually enjoyed their lives, and that assertion wasn't confined to Capricho or Chariot. In this dark age of the law, where criminals did as they pleased, governments could barely keep their own asses alive, private military companies flourished and controlled everything, and the magnanimous Hyperion wasn't there anymore to control things, the status quo was that of anarchy. Sure, there were still planets that had a sense of safety (and decency), but those surely were due to being under the magnanimous ass of some big company or name. In this day and age, might makes right.

And having power goes simply on who has the most money… and the bigger guns.

Hey, world-wrecking tech's the shit these days.

But back on point. With the current state of affairs, it wasn't unheard of the usual Joe to become a criminal, as barely nothing could pay the food on the table that didn't require academic effort. So when it comes to laziness, it's better to just follow the self-righteous feeling of douchebag-ery and just do whatever the fuck you please. There's no one to stop you from shooting anyone who looks at you ugly.

(Besides another person, but hey, there's occupational hazards in every single job there is, even more in felony)

And Chariot just happens to be one of _these_ types of planets.

If one were to ask the criminals if they enjoyed their lives, one would most likely get a positive answer: _Anarchy iz da bestest!_

However, not for this bandit. This bandit right here, at the mercy of an angry Vault Hunter and a cold-hearted Kanmusu, regrets all of his life decisions right now. He regrets not having listened to momma and becoming a good lawyer, he regrets not staying home and stick his nose into the textbook, he regrets going on his killing sprees with his comrades, and he certainly regrets not having taken a new pair of underwear with him this morning.

* * *

 

"Hey man, you got a 3 of spades?"

"Nnnnnnope. But I got a 2. What about you?"

"I got a blue 0"

Silence.

"Dude, what the fuck do you think this is?"

"Er… UNO?"

***BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!***

The four guards who were supposed to be guarding the front door watch horrified how said front door is blown open in a strenuous explosion. They watch dumbstruck from their chairs how the metallic gate is torn apart in several pieces.

And from within the hole and smoke that raises from it, a figure is flung into the inside of the building. The guards immediately recognize their comrade.

"R-Robby!?" One of them cries.

"S-shit! Go tell the boss!" Another hurries.

But before anyone can take another step, a foreign voice speaks.

"You're not going anywhere"

"What in the seven-"

***BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!***

Another explosion blasts the entrance to the hideout, killing the four guards who don't even get to retaliate or realize who's attacking them.

"You're really awesome" Grey smiles, patting the checkered barrel of his latest acquisition, however, he gives a low grunt afterwards as he takes the Rocket Launcher off his shoulder to reload it. "But you do weigh a ton, dammit…"

Alex steps inside, following her Commander through the broken concrete and steel with a startled Amber at her side.

"S-sorry for intruding…" Amber says sheepishly, bowing nervously to no one in the least. She feels tired more due to her Commander's antics than anything else.

Grey finishes reloading his Deee! And places it back on his shoulder, prompting the girls to follow him.

"Commander, where are we-"

***BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!***

Grey fires without notice as soon as he sees some bandits coming out from one of the empty doorframes.

"C-Can't you at least warn us before firing that thing, nanodesuuuuuu!?" Amber whimpers.

"Nope. Don't want to"

"Awwww" Amber cries.

The three of them move deeper into the hideout, which happens to be a warehouse connected to an abandoned factory of sorts. What did they produce, no one cared about, neither anyone in Grey's group, or the bandits occupying it. The Vault Hunter had to give it to them though, this place was somewhat _fancy_ for a bunch of third-rate criminals.

Grey begins to feel a little bit tired after carrying the Rocket Launcher all the way from the crash site to this place, but doesn't let it stop him. He trots with light steps, while the girls do their best to keep up, as their Commander seems intent on exploding whatever comes across with little to no care of what could happen.

Unknown to them, Grey was indulging himself. He's enjoying his share of the little things in the form of indiscriminate destruction.

And what is better than using violence to solve your problems? Blowing said problems out of your existence with the power of EXPLOSIONS!

Grey keeps going with a flat expression on his face. He doesn't denote anger, he doesn't denote happiness, and he certainly doesn't denote exhaustion. Alex and Amber for their part hold out to the best of their abilities, keeping their pace with the uncaring Commander, who walks on without waiting for them.

* * *

They were almost here…

It was an amazing feat, he had to give it to them. Almost everyone else was dead, or suffering critical injuries. He stands up, motioning the uneasy to listen to him.

None of them were paying any attention.

"My brothers!" He proclaims.

No one pays mind to him. Yet, he continues

"I have gathered you here because I have a very important announcement!"

He carries himself with regal confidence. He makes an exaggerated movement with his hand, placing it over his heart and standing upright, his back firm and his voice clear as Curse Snake Pozole and strong as a Moon Onion Stew.

Yes, I'm quite certain that didn't make any sense.

"Brothers, you have been serving me for a long time now, and I know that when I say that we are the strongest bandits, I am speaking the truth. We've faced many hardships together, overcome countless struggles, looted many loots around this beautiful piece of paradise known as Chariot. We've made a name for ourselves, a name that resounds within the hearts of many. Our name instills awe and fear in our enemies. When the sun rises, our enemies fear for the safety of their loot, when the sun sets, they fear for the safety of their loot… IN THEIR BEDS!"

He extends his arms to each side _quite_ passionately.

"We are stronger than anything! We shape the destiny of this planet! We are the goddamn owners of this planet! They know our names, and if they don't, they **will** know our names!

WE ARE-"

And **BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM** goes the front door.

An awkward silence fills the last room of the hideout.

Until it is broken by mad coughing. Smoke fills the room from the explosion that came from the metal gate that was supposed to be keeping the outsiders out. _Was supposed to_ , because there wasn't anything there any longer.

He feels sweat running in his back. He focuses his gaze into the cloud, trying to discern just **who** had broken into his home.

The coughing continues a bit more

"Agh-Son of a bitch! The dust is digging into my nose!" A male voice growls. "Ah… **ACHOO!** GRRAGH!"

"Why didn't you just knock as Amber suggested, sir?" One distinctly female voice answers. "You could've saved ammunition that way…"

"I got a Launcher, your argument is invalid" The male voice responds.

"S-sorry for intruding, nanodesu…" A second female voice barely reaches his ears.

"Remind me again, where are we supposed to be going?" The male voice asks.

Silence.

"H-hey, why are you keeping quiet now?" The male voice follows.

"W-we were just… following you, Commander" The second female voice says meekly.

"You didn't… know where you were going, Commander?" The first, quieter voice follows.

"To be honest, I've been just blowing up shit at random for the past 10 or so minutes"

"Hence our supply of Rocket ammunition becoming practically non-existent as of now"

"C-commander… Alex-san… w-we shouldn't… be fighting…"

"Amber, I got a goddamn Rocket Launcher and 8 more-"

"4"

"- _Four_ more rounds to go- wait, WHAT!? When did I eat through so many rockets!?"

"On the large room with the turrets" The first female voice deadpans. "You said something about giving them an early Christmas or something along those lines, and fired until all of them were blown into the portable toilets"

"Oh, right"

"C-Commander, w-we're dragging too much… attention" The second female voice says weakly.

"No shit, Amber" The male voice scoffs sardonically.

"Y-you're being… very… mean… Commander"

Silence.

"Yeah… Sorry about that. Wanna fire the Rocket Launcher, as an apology?"

"S-sir…?" The second female voice sounds very upset now.

"Relax, it's just a joke"

"…The smoke is taking a lot to clear out" The first female voice says softly.

"Yeah, must've been those barrels near the door" The male says.

"…I believe there might be… enemies inside" The second female voice points out.

"I'll just blow them up with this baby"

"C-can't you… contain yourself, Commander? Not even… a little?"

"Meh. Don't wanna"

"Aww…"

"…Are you sure you don't need ear protection for something like that, Commander? You've been firing nonstop for a while now…"

"Meh, I'll just use a Medi-kit if worse comes to worst"

"That's very… irresponsible of… you… Commander…"

"But really, all this smoke is really pissing me off. Don't they have any ventilation in here!? Really!? All these fancy corridors and weaponry and shit and not a single fan in this whole damn place!?"

"…It wouldn't surprise me if you blew up the energy source on the way here, Commander"

"Haha, very funny Alex"

Silence.

"…I'm worried now. That box back there, you don't think that was the energy source, right?"

"…How would we know, Commander? You're supposed to be the one with common sense here"

"…Am I sensing sarcasm, Al?"

"…Maybe"

"Heh, then I'm doing something right"

"I-I don't think you should be proud… of that, Commander"

"Hey, the more sarcasm, the better. There's never enough room for sarcasm. There can _never_ be a thing as enough sarcasm in this life"

Silence yet again.

"W-why are you two looking at me like that!?"

"…I'd like to plead to the right to remain silent, if possible"

"S-sorry, Commander… but I just… cannot…"

An exasperated sigh.

"All right, all right. I think we can call it a day with the sarcasm"

"I thought you said there's not a thing as enough sarcasm, Commander?"

"You're really beginning to piss me off, Alex"

"C-Commander…! Over there!"

The smoke finally begins to subside, and he can finally see those who have been nonchalantly speaking all this time.

And he doesn't like what he sees.

Not the Rocket Launcher lodged ever so casually at the male's shoulder.

The masked leader kneels down to a pleading position after being dumbstruck after all this time, all signs of bravado gone from his person.

"P-please, spare me!" He pleads desperately.

The Vault Hunter gives a funny look to the guy.

"I-I was appointed as leader just two days ago b-because our previous leader went hunting for Forest Runners by himself and he just so happened to get killed on the way back! Please! I have no intention of fighting you. J-just spare me! I'll do anything you want! Just don't kill me!"

Grey's expression becomes flat.

"Give me your biggest car and all of your guns and money"

"W-wha-?"

***BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!***

**"** **EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"**

Grey becomes completely slack-jawed. He would have understood if it had been Amber who screamed, or maybe even Alex. He'd have understood if either of the little girls beside him were scared at the sudden and unintentional firing of his massive gun.

But he didn't expect the bandit across him to give such a high-pitched squeal.

Grey turns his head momentarily to the Ship Girls. Even Alex was startled, but it ended at that: Alex was just _startled_. Amber was shaking a lot more, but it seems that the excessive explosions in the past minutes have allowed her to gain a little bit of immunity towards them.

…He's lucky that the rocket didn't destroy anything.

Grey returns his attention to the bandit, who's now curled in the floor in fetal position.

The Vault Hunter scratches his head, then gives a sadistic smile. Letting his inner bully surface from its not too hidden corner of his heart, Grey speaks sadistically.

"Yeah, thing is, that I'm not in a particularly good mood right now, so if you could solve this _pronto_ , I'll reconsider how soon I'll blow your ass up" He says, taking advantage of his slip and turning it into a full-blown threat.

"Y-yes, sir…" The bandit whimpers.

But he doesn't move an inch from his fetal position.

"…"

Grey stares with a languid face.

Alex stares with a perfect poker face.

Amber is the only one who's uncomfortable.

"Then what are you doing?" Grey deadpans.

"M-may I just get a new pair of pants first?"


	14. Zip

There are a handful of things that make Grey Arkham happy, and they aren't particularly hard to list. He's a simple guy who likes his coffee black like his soul in the morning, cash in his pockets for the day, nice loots for the evenings (With variable amounts of violence to obtain it, he's not too stingy in this matter), and a good drink (not necessarily alcohol, as he doesn't particularly like it for various reasons) every now and then to ease his nights.

He didn't have any real expectations about his assault on these unknown bandits (which remained nameless because he didn't bother to ask for identification), but when he sees their cache of weapons, he can't hide the shit-eating grin that forms in his face.

Cash, bullets and weapons galore!

As soon as they enter the bandit's vault, Grey doesn't miss a beat and starts opening the metallic containers one after the other with evident delight. And lo and behold, while most of the guns offered in metal plates are common and not really remarkable, being that they're better off disassembled or sold, he does find a few uncommon and even some rare ones. Alongside the guns, he finds various pieces of miscellaneous stuff, including _quite_ a big sum of cash, assorted magazines and boxes of ammunition for all kinds of weapons, shields, grenade mods, and even some eridian relics. However, as he doesn't have his ECHO to store and organize them, he can't really fathom to give a conclusive verdict outside of what he can tell with his naked eye; that and the fact that he doesn't really want to spend more time than necessary in the hideout, so he simply takes everything with him. After going through the 6th box, he stops in his tracks to turn around to the girls.

"Girls" he says gleefully. "We hit jackpot"

Neither of the Kanmusu really understand his rejoice, but decide to not interrupt their Commander, who's basically acting like a child on the loose… in a candy store… and a ticket for a free buffet… no parents to hold him… and an empty stomach… and an unhealthy craving for sugar…

Well, maybe he's not _that_ bad, as the point is that the Vault Hunter has finally gotten himself some actual loot after two weeks (more or less, considering he was unconscious for the bigger part of this said interval) of disaster (He didn't consider the car rental incident a successful happening, more because he's too much of an ass rather than looking into the bright side of things).

Minutes later, Grey's crew has a whole new set of guns, a brand new vehicle, enough cash to spare for the coming days, and resulting from it, an improved mood.

An irony about the situation makes Grey scoff, because he's gotten himself a Model 6 Mammoth-T in superb conditions, full with A/C, electronic windows, retroactive shields for trips to the bad neighborhoods, and tacos to share in the glove box. Holy Tacos!

The Vault Hunter is a bit diverted about it. He's not the type to speak about or really believe in things such as karmic retribution or spiritual jumbo of the like, but he does believe that there is a thing known as Lady Luck, and she can be both the greatest ally and the biggest pain in the ass.

Eh… he'll take it nonetheless, it's a lot better that what he had expected, so he's not going to complain on that account. If he hadn't found anything in the bandit's hideout, then perhaps some awful things might have occurred (to the poor bandit that gave him everything he demanded), but considering that he had acquired pretty much everything he needed to return safely to Rho, he spared the bandit, who had proven himself useful.

The Mammoth has enough space for Grey and both girls, the Hydro-bike in the trunk, which Grey disassembled to make space for the _numerous_ guns he loaded into some bags. It takes Grey a few minutes to load the vehicle; thankfully, the trunk has a digistructing matrix within it, so he makes the best of it and loads most of the ammunition and weapons there, making the effort to place and organize the weapons as best as he can with their rarity and potential usefulness in mind. After closing the interface, Grey finally puts the Hydro-bike's parts inside. He wouldn't be able to rebuild it until he found himself a vehicular station, but he decided that because he was travelling with both girls, it was better to use only the bigger vehicle.

Mammoths are mass-produced military vehicles outfitted for different purposes according to their variant. The T variant sacrifices a bit of armor and speed to give a better space and ease of loading and getting off the vehicle, being that the T stands for Transport. T-variant Mammoths have enough space for about 10 or so people (Although the comfort is questionable. Hey. It's a military vehicle, not a family van). There exists other variants such as the Assault, Medical and Castle variants, each better suited for different purposes, as one may guess from their names. The models themselves that range from 1 to 8, differ in two things mainly: their age and price. According to the people, such a wide range of models was what came to the downfall of their manufacturers, Meteor Rex (Often referred to Meteorex for shot), a company that can barely hold its own weight nowadays, being that it insisted on producing equipment for war when they were both very young, and there was practically no one to buy them. With big names like Dahl and Hyperion producing their own high-end equipment for themselves, it was always questionable why a small fry like Meteorex insisted on trying to emulate them. The first models that range from 1 to 4 are… subpar, to not use a more insulting word, although, for the record, it was after the 5th generation that Meteorex really stepped up their game, as often models 5 and 6 are preferred by the consumers. Sadly, by the time these good models came out, the damage was done, and when the models 7 and 8 had come around, they weren't able to survive said damage any longer. That was about 20 or 30 years ago, when Hyperion was still thriving and there were far more troubles in the galaxy. A small competitor that was ruined by none other than itself, it was… poetic to the eyes of some, because nowadays, anyone could find Meteorex's vehicles for cheap, and being that it's not too complicated to repair them, it's not unheard of for anyone who doesn't work on the civil spectrum of jobs to have use for them. They were absorbed by Acceleration Rogue (A-Rogue for short) and barely did anything noticeable, because the legal jumbo was impossible to make sense of. While Meteorex still existed "technically", they weren't able to produce anything that A-Rogue didn't approve of, so it was hard for them to really remediate their situation.

Back on the point of their vehicles, for some bizarre reason, models 1 and 2 are very rare nowadays, especially a discontinued line known as Breaker and their subsequent variants, if only for the fact that most of them broke down by themselves after little use. A few would pay a big sum for something as ridiculous as a crappy vehicle. Breakers can rack you up to millions of dollars provided you know where to sell them.

After finishing the loadout, Grey and the girls now focus on finding something to ease their growling stomachs. They hadn't really eaten anything this morning outside of what little remained of Homero, which wasn't much to begin with. So when the Vault Hunter finishes his business with his newly-acquired equipment, he and the girls search for anything edible. It takes some time to do so, more because Grey practically destroyed everything that came his way in his advance to the depths of the factory, and said raid didn't spare the kitchen.

Which is why the three of them are now sitting on a small square chair next to the Mammoth with whatever leftovers the scrawny bandit has been able to procure them on top of the crates Grey had emptied…

Amber isn't really sure what to feel about the strange yellow goo sitting in front of her.

"Hey you!" Grey calls between energetic bites.

"Y-Yes!?" The bandit shrieks nervously, immediately drawing near the Vault Hunter.

Grey takes a bit too long gulping down whatever kind of meat he was eating.

And then, he drinks from the oozy black beverage. No matter what she were told, Amber wouldn't dare to bring such weird-smelling liquid near her lips. _Ever_.

"What have you heard about the Empty Braver?" the Vault Hunter doesn't beat around the bush.

The bandit flinches a bit.

"T-The E-Empty Braver, s-sir?"

"No, the motherfuckin' president of Hyperion" Grey scoffs, giving another lengthy sip before filling his mug again. "Yes. The Empty Braver"

"R-Right" The bandit gulps awkwardly. Why hadn't Grey dropped his Rocket Launcher and insisted with keeping it on him was beyond the bandit's capabilities. He was eating with the damned thing on his lap, for Norway's sake! (Not really, it was lodged on the box, Grey just had the thing quite near him)

"Er…"

"Anything" Grey relaxes, cleaning his mouth with his sleeve. "Rumors, truths, lies. Anything that you've heard, I wanna hear it. Anything from two weeks 'til now, preferably"

Without the Vault Hunter noticing, Alex glances in his direction. She eyes her Commander with a slightly inquiring look.

And it takes a moment a little bit too long before anyone speaks.

"I still got rockets, y'know?" Grey says nonchalantly as he stuffs his mouth with the meat of unknown precedence, leaving behind only a thin bone after he expulses it from his mouth.

"S-sorry, sorry! I was just thinking!" The bandit panics. "Well… er… to be perfectly honest, there have been pretty weird rumors coming around ever since a week ago… and you aren't the first to be askin' about that fella…"

"Who are we talking about?" The Vault Hunter eyes the bandit suspiciously.

"W-well, there've been some guys offerin' cash to anyone who gives info about the guy. They are pretty far in between now, but with you, it's now 3 guys, I think"

_"_ _Hmm… Other potential Admirals?"_ The Vault Hunter thinks for his insides.

"And what about the rumors?" Grey elaborates, picking his teeth with a wooden toothpick.

"N-Now, don't quote me on this, since I only heard it from some guys the other day when we were celebrating at Flask. There are people claimin' that there've been some weird things popping around the south and the east"

"What kind of 'things'? And how far are we speaking? Sigma? Theta?"

"W-well, I don't really know, to be honest, but things have been getting pretty weird around here at least. We've spotted foreigners movin' around these parts, like Rocky Reed, Gretel and Flask, like I said… don't really know about anywhere farther really, it's not like we are some big name anyways…"

Grey takes a moment before speaking, as he digests everything that the bandit just told him.

"What kind of guys?"

"Suits and mercs mostly, and I don't mean half-baked mercs like us, I mean like real- _real_ mercs"

"Vault Hunters?" Grey's expression becomes stern.

"I dunno really, it's not like we stayed around to find out… those guys looked like they meant trouble…" The bandit slumps his shoulders. "We didn't have a death wish…"

Alex bites her leftovers with a stoic face.

_"_ _Figures…"_

"What's the people saying, then? If there are suits moving, something _must_ be going on" Grey sighs.

"W-well…" the bandit hesitates.

Grey only has to move his hand towards the Rocket Launcher ever so slightly…

"I-I mean, there are a lot of things to talk about nowadays. I mean, there's the matter with the disappearances and all that, places like Omega and Phi suddenly becoming radioactive wastelands… we also have the thing with the marine routes goin' crazy… and then all these people suddenly having a lot of interest in the Vault and all this shit… this weirdo Braver calling people all around to hunt for it, I don't know, man, it's fuckin' creepy. We got enough to deal with, I mean, Hyperion still's hunting all of us, Exodus ain't making it easier too, and the pirates-"

"What do you mean by the sudden interest in the Vault?" Grey interrupts.

"Well… I dunno if it's true, but apparently, there have been appearing a few guys all around Chariot claimin' they be… what was it again? Eh…" The bandit goes into thought, as he tries to remember something. "Eh… I can't recall right now, but word says that there've been a few nasty fights around the east. Don't quote me on this, this is just what I've heard, but apparently, there've been some monsters goin' around wrecking cities and towns"

"…Monsters?" Amber parrots uneasily.

"Say what?" Grey jabs skeptically.

"Giant killer robots or somethin' like that, I dunno. I've heard that they've been wasting everything in their path and no one's been able to stop 'em. Like, the motherfuckers were totally rekt"

"What the hell are you babblin' about?" Grey groans in irritation. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Eh… I dunno, really…" The bandit shrugs unsurely. Grey threatens by putting a hand on the Rocket Launcher, which wordlessly prompts him to keep speaking. "R-Really, man! Everyone keeps saying different things! That when these guys come in's when the monsters appear shit gets nasty, others that the guys and monsters are the same thing, or that they appear when you don't eat your vegetables, I don't know, man! It's just what I've heard!"

Alex observes her beverage with a vacant expression before gulping it down in one go, and Grey notices her stare into space out of the corner of his eye, then moves his attention to the other girl momentarily, who hasn't even touched her leftovers yet. Amber is clearly uncomfortable, she had been uncomfortable even before entering here. She had followed through with Grey's assault because she didn't want to stay behind, although she had made her position quite clear since the beginning, she didn't want to engage, much less injure and not even say kill anyone in the least. Alex for her part didn't say much, but she seemed to share Amber's reluctance to act, although hers was more due to simply not being able to care rather than pity or anything of the like, much to the auburn's chagrin.

Grey for his part was wandering in the limbo between torpor and calm. The food was certainly welcome, as had been the weapons and capital, and though he certainly wasn't exhausted, the momentary serenity that had come after storming this place wanted to settle within him. However, he doesn't let it take over him, and instead decides to take action before this tranquility grows into either laziness or full-blown comfort. He doesn't need any of these right now, not when he's not in a truly safe zone, so he instead tries to focus his efforts into getting as much information from this guy as possible.

"How have things been going around here, outside of what you've already told us?" The Vault Hunter asks.

"W-well, just the other day we finally recruited some new guys-"

"That I care about" Grey interrupts mercilessly.

"W-what do you care about, then!?" The bandit retorts. Grey finally grabs the Rocket Launcher by the barrel, and the bandit gets down on all four. "SORRY! SORRY! SORRY! IT WAS JUST A JOKE, BRO!"

"I'm not your freaking bro or anything of the sort" Grey deadpans. "Now speak, before I blow you up along with this joint"

"Y-Yes, sir…" The bandit whimpers.

Amber is beginning to feel real bad about this poor devil.

"I've heard that there've been many troubles with pirates on this side of Chariot. They say that there've been a lot of pirates causing trouble on the seas near Pollos"

_"_ _Pollos…that's on the direction Amber was sleeping"_ Grey furrows his eyebrows.

"I heard from a friend of mine that back on the south, Sigma's been pretty shaky too. The government's been putting some inspection points or something like that in the entrances. It seems that they're lookin' for somethin', but what is it, I dunno. The people of Sigma are getting restless, but it's a no brainer, considering what Exodus did to 'em a few months ago…"

This piques Grey's interest.

"What happened in Sigma?" He asks.

"Y-You didn't hear?" The bandit is honestly surprised. Grey shoots a dirty glare towards him. "W-well, about 3 months ago, some of Exodus' guys came into Sigma unannounced, like, you won't believe me, the motherflippin' president of Exodus came to visit! The guy came all armed and shit, with his elite force and all! He and Sigma's big shots apparently discussed some important, top-secret business or something like that for hours! The normal people couldn't even leave their houses during all that time! My friend told me that the guys used brute force on anyone who got near the meeting place, no questions asked! How crazy is that?"

"Why didn't you tell me before of this?" Grey says in alarm.

The bandit gives him a funny look. "B-Because you told me to tell you about stuff from two weeks till now?"

"Motherf-!" Grey begins.

"P-please, Commander!" Amber finally cries. "D-Don't be so unreasonable! He's been doing his best to help us, nanodesu! There's no need for more violence!"

Grey never had the intention to harm the bandit because of something like this, but he pulls back nonetheless.

"I didn't hear of this before" Grey speaks with a harsh expression. "What the hell did Exodus want anyway? Corps aren't supposed to come in contact with Districts like that"

"Except for Lambda" The bandit says meekly.

"…That's another matter" Grey sighs, letting a brief pause into the conversation.

In this interval, Grey serves himself some of the strange black beverage again, finally emptying the pitcher completely. He doesn't get a full glass, but gulps it down with gusto nonetheless.

The inside of the factory is spacious, but very disorganized, Amber notes. She's reminded of that building back in Capricho before the arena, because garbage lies in almost every corner imaginable. She can't imagine herself living in such conditions, and her preference for tidiness had showed itself back in Granberia, what with her religious cleaning of the clinic. The factory also gives her a nasty vibe, one quite similar to the arena-building, although if she were to be perfectly honest, she'd admit that for some reason, there was something that felt _homely_ of all things within the decolored corridors of the abandoned facility. She didn't quite really understand why or how it was that a place like this could give such a feeling, but she eventually recalls that this is a base for the bandits living here, and even if she could never understand or justify their way of living, they must have some form of interaction within them. She never got to see it, and she would never know about the lives of the people living (or more like live **d** ) here, so she can only imagine how these people led their lives when they weren't committing crimes.

It upsets her, because she can't understand them.

"…Why is all this so important, Commander?" Alex finally joins in the conversation.

"You've been hearing talk all about districts and the like, right?" He asks, and receives nods from both girls. "Yet, you've never been actually to one, so it figures."

The Vault Hunter closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Without opening them immediately. He actually has to think what to say, and though he doesn't take too long, the pause he takes before continuing is significant enough for both girls to notice. When he speaks again, Amber notes the melancholy in his tone.

"If I had to say it outright, I'd say that the difference between districts and ugly country lies in the people living there"

Grey's eyes ward off into the nothingness.

"It may mostly be 'cause the people running the districts have some form of power and keep things like Hyperion's enforcers and the like out, and that you don't really find bandits or criminals in them. Even while some are nastier than others, I wouldn't say it's _bad_ to live in a District outright. It's certainly safer and nicer in them"

Grey's eyes focus on Amber's again, and his voice becomes clear, lacking of his usual harsh and tense inflection, but still carrying a minuscule tint of unhappiness within his carefully chosen words. The auburn girl notes that Grey's body language loosens just a little bit, but it's not enough for the young man to stop looking like his usual, menacing self.

Amber doesn't really find herself comfortable around Grey, if she has to be honest, or at least, she feels that way most of the time, because she cannot place her Commander even now. She respects him, but it ends just there, she follows him out of obligation, as she stands as her sword and shield, as his _kanmusu_. The auburn girl still cannot say for certain how far her _trust_ goes, though. She's too ditzy in certain accounts, sure, she's not the brightest bulb in the box, and she knows that she's been giving the Vault Hunter a lot of troubles ever since she woke up, but she just can't bring herself to give it her all.

"…When you live in a district, you have to abide by their rules" Grey continues. "Not doing as the rules say, or messing with the big shots can get you kicked out, or even killed if that's how things roll in there, it's not unheard of"

"Districts are like a…" Grey stumbles. He then shakes his head, as if rejecting some idea from his mind. "…a community. You help people out without expecting to be helped out, or at least that's how things work where I live. You just keep your profile low and not cause trouble for others, and you can live a plentiful life, without even needing one bit of cash. Although, there are shortcomings, obviously, you just can't have it all… Especially when…"

Grey spaces out for a bit.

"…never mind"

Grey notes that Alex doesn't seem satisfied. Thankfully, the girl seems to take the hint when Grey keeps quiet, deciding not to press too much. Amber, however, feels intrigued at Grey's attempt to move the conversation in another direction.

"What is so different about Lambda?" Alex questions.

It is not Grey, but the bandit who speaks.

"You gals… you gals ain't from Chariot, right?" He speaks in honest surprise. "I mean, not knowing about Sigma is one thing, but to not know about Lambda…"

Grey, however, doesn't want to answer that question here.

"…I'll tell you when we reach our destination" He says dismissively. "It's not a good story to tell when we've just eaten"

Grey wants to think that Alex is unconvinced, even though he can't really tell anything from her poker face.

The lilac-haired girl is an enigma to the Vault Hunter. She always has a stiff expression on her face that borders between cold anger and nothingness. Grey cannot really understand her in two ways. The first is that because she's an amnesiac like Amber; because he's never found himself in a situation like hers, he cannot fathom to understand how it must be to deal with the crap she's had to put up with, even though he's also dealt with his own share of bull. The second and bigger reason is that she doesn't bother with letting anything show, hence not really understanding her in the first place. Her circumstances are special by themselves, so it's a no-brainer that she's come to be cold like she is. However, he has no need to bother her about it, he doesn't want to, and he knows he shouldn't pry.

"Anything else?" Grey sighs, not expecting much else.

"Well…" The bandit scratches the back of his head unsurely. "Nothin' really interesting happens 'round the Trihorn Route, to be honest…"

"Besides the fact that you losers like to assault random passers" Grey deadpans.

The bandit laughs nervously before speaking again.

"Well, maybe you'll be interested in this" The bandit speaks sheepishly. "Something interesting popped out in Regulus two days ago"

"Regulus? Where is that?"

"About 3 hours by car. If you go north in the Trihorn Route past the groves you'll find it" The bandit responds.

"Oh, right" Grey nods absent-mindedly, remembering what the guy's talking about. "But what do I find there?"

"Well, I heard that some incredible weapon or something was found there, and the Reds and Blues have been really riled up about getting it"

"Those idiots are still around…?" Grey sighs in what seems to be… disappointment. "But those freaks fight about the stupidest of shit all the time, what's so different now?"

"Well, for starters" The bandit grins. "That it _came out of the fucking ground_!"

"From… underground?" Grey questions somewhat aghast.

"Yup!" The bandit responds passionately. "As you may know, the locals from Regulus usually dig around the mountains for ores and crystals and shit 'cause the zone's pretty much covered in 'em. Some days ago they found some alien-looking thing, or something like that. The miners took it out of the mountain, but before they could make right from left…"

"The Reds and Blues started causing trouble…" Grey completes the bandit's sentence. "I assume they stole the thing?"

"Yep, the Reds were trying to get us to help 'em 'cause the Blues've been pretty mean lately with their latest loot. The guys gotten themselves some nice guns and even a mech!"

"A… mech?"

"Yup, some sort of combat-ready machine. I'm not too sure about the specs, but the thing does pack a punch! The only reason the Reds haven't lost is 'cause Mr. Blood is one smart bastard. The guy keeps hitting the Blues where it hurts 'em"

Grey stays quiet for some time, as he revises the information he just received

"Is this thing we're talking about…" Grey stumbles a bit. "Is it… by any chance, some sort of metallic box?"

"Yes!" The bandit responds happily. "But how did you know?"

"Are you sure?" Grey becomes abrasive, his hand slowly reaching for the Rocket Launcher. "You're not bullshitting, right?"

"Y-yes!" The bandit squeals. "I'm not lying, I saw it with my own eyes! It was some big metallic box with weird symbols over it! Come on, man! I wouldn't lie to you!"

Grey gives a distrusting glare to the bandit and doesn't respond to the question, and instead directs his attention to Amber and Alex. Amber's eyes are shining like Christmas lights, as she knows what her Commander's thinking. Grey is a little awed at first, but his surprise fades quickly, for he grins confidently shortly after. Amber broods for a while in her chair as she processes what they've just been told, before finally curling her hands into tiny fists and focusing again on her Commander, and she is relieved to see him smiling so assuredly. Alex is also taken aback by the new information, but her disconcert quickly disappears. When Grey makes eye contact with her, he can see a faint glow of interest in her icy blue eyes.

The Vault Hunter stands up, followed suit by both girls. He stretches his arms up, and gives a relaxed sigh at the pleasant sensation of muscles stretching after minutes of rest. He cracks his neck and finally picks up the Rocket Launcher at his right.

* * *

 

The trio takes the liberty of outfitting themselves with new gear.

Grey is very pleased to get guards for his elbows and knees after all this time, being that he really liked them both for commodity and protection, and ever since he lost his previous ones at the incident some days ago, he'd been really craving some of them again. Grey discards his old clothes, having no need for them any longer because he finds a new set for himself in the form of a brand-new pair of Dahl cargo pants from the bandit's keep and a thin black bandit jacket from one of the dead/escapee members, from which he removes the yet-to-be-identified gang's emblem. He also takes another shirt from his bag of stolen clothes, this one being a plain light gray tank top. After finishing his wardrobe change, he also picks some pouches and belt bags from the same place he had gotten his pants, and secures them to his waist, filling them with ammunition and grenades. He finishes by placing a pair of black fingerless leather gloves on his hands.

Alex and Amber don't get much, though. Grey gives new shields to both girls, being that Alex's previous one wasn't exactly a nice one, and Amber's was thoroughly broken beyond reparation. Grey didn't know exactly when it had happened, but he was sure it must have happened when Amber fell out of the vehicle during the arena incident. It was pretty bizarre too. To thoroughly _destroy_ a shield by merely using it was by no means an easy task, which is testament as to how terrible Amber's crash had been.

Alex gets herself a couple of new weapons after debating with Grey for 10 minutes, with Grey insisting that she should not fight until she recovered, and she refusing to stand down. In the end, Grey gives her a rare quality Anaconda, one of the better weapons found within the loot, with the thoughts of the ease of use due to its quality and low recoil being the primary factors of its choosing. Alex also picks an Earnest Leverage with a laser sight, much to Grey's dismay. While not as powerful as other bigger pistols, the Leverages are some of the more powerful Hyperion ones due to them having the Jakobs barrel. It will be a pain to use, Grey tells her, because of the reverse-recoil system part of the Hyperion brand and the gun's recoil itself coming from its superior firepower and weight. The argument doesn't last for too long, but as she insists on keeping it, Grey eventually caves in. He also gives her a belt bag with a small digistructing pocket, which she places around her waist and above her clothes. She doesn't get anything in the department of clothes.

After checking on Amber's ribs one more time and changing the bandages, Grey also gives her a small belt bag identical to Alex's. He holds her off from getting any guns, telling her that until he gets her to a doctor, she's not going to be fighting. She's both relieved and disappointed by this; relieved because she won't have to fight… and disappointed because she won't be able to fight.

Grey and the girls finish their preparations steadily. Grey can feel Amber's excitement in his skin. The three of them board the vehicle without missing a beat.

"You're not forgetting anything?" Grey asks calmly.

"W-we are ready, nanodesu!" Amber chirps.

"…No problems here" Alex responds with the faintest of smiles.

"Okay then…" Grey turns on the Mammoth-T. The motor produces a loud growl when the key ignites the insides of the vehicle, and Grey pushes down on the accelerator just to try out the vehicle once again. He had already tested it out earlier, now he was just fooling around in an effort to raise the girls' spirits.

It was time to hit the road again.


	15. Metallic Soul

The sky becomes red by the time they reach Regulus. The clock marks 6:42 p.m. when Amber spots a sign in the distance, and once they're close enough she is able to make out some of the words in the rusted metallic plate. The smaller white letters are faded out, but she manages to read "Welcome to Regulus, watch out for Rust Gnomes. Population: 527" followed by a minus sign and an extensive series of assorted small vertical marks that were crossed diagonally for every 4 of them. These marks weren't naturally inscribed on the metal, because the ink belonged to a pen or marker of sorts. The leftmost ones were barely visible, as the passing of time hadn't spared them, although they could still be differentiated from the others if one were to pay close attention to the corroded marker.

Grey lightly presses his foot on the break, and the vehicle gently speeds down until it is cruising slowly enough to let the outside sounds reach the passenger's ears. Amber huffs a bit at the change, the aching of her left leg has already tired her out; she had held out quietly all this time, but her willpower is running dangerously low at this point. The auburn girl presses her tiny palms carefully against her thigh, as she has been doing for the past hour or so. She more or less knows which places hurt the most, but she can't fathom to stop doing it for some reason. Like if trying to prove that she was in fact, alive, she used the stinging as a way to ascertain that she was still in this world.

She eventually stops her questionable routine after almost reaching the rear part of her thigh, and separates her hand from the injured member to observe the new place. The houses that are lined up in the concrete floor are quite similar to those from Granberia, with similar architectures and the same type of walls and frontage overall, although she does note that unlike the small seaside town, there were a lot of unfamiliar tools and devices scattered throughout the yards, mostly metallic ones, including what Amber thinks to be mining tools and some form of complicated devices that seem very uncomfortable to use. There are also a lot of trucks parked in the sides of the road, most of them loaded with dirt-covered sacks and all sorts of bars and handles sticking out between and from said sacks. There are a lot of people walking both ways in the lane, although mostly move in the opposite direction her Commander and them had come from. The crowd is composed mostly of bulky men carrying work tools similar to those on the houses on their backs and shoulders, who walk nonchalantly, absorbed in their chatter. Only a few of the locals look their way, but the few that do it don't make it intrusive, and instead seem more disinterested than anything else. Amber tries to keep the nasty thoughts away; she doesn't know what kind of place this is, but she tries her best not to let her Commander's acidity get to her. She doesn't need the cynicism, she _thoroughly refuses_ to let cynicism into her system.

"Here's the order of the day. Do you see that building?" Grey says after cruising at a low speed for about 8 or so minutes. Both Amber and Alex give their full attention to the Vault Hunter, and look in the direction he's prompting them. Grey motions the vehicle towards one building that seems different from the rest, which has a few assorted vehicles parked in its front yard. They stand out because they are unlike the smaller ones that decorate the houses scattered throughout the town, and don't really seem in line for those who live by picking the ground's entrails. Once the vehicle stops completely, Grey swiftly takes out the key from its slot, spinning the ring in his finger once with an equally swift movement, and with a finishing motion, the keys become hidden inside Grey's palm. The Vault Hunter turns his head towards Alex first, then to Amber. "We're spending the night there"

He points out to the building in front of them with an accusatory finger wrapped under the shiny metallic ring. Then he turns to the co-pilot's seat again. "Al, take out 3000 dollars from our stash"

"Hai" The girl responds in the monotone the group's being forced to become accustomed to, and starts manipulating her ECHO.

"Alright, next in line is finding a doctor…" Grey says somewhat dejectedly, and after a pause, he adds onto his thought. "And preferably one with a license… Don't wanna deal with a bone-melting cold right now"

Amber feels confused, conflicted and ultimately not very relieved at Grey's detachment.

"And if we still have the time, I want to look for anything on the box" He finalizes. "That's what we're doing today. But before any of that…"

Alex finishes counting the cash out from her ECHO. She has to admit, she is a little bit impressed of how well the contraption responded and worked. It had given her exactly the money she had requested down to the last penny.

"Ground rules for spending a night outside your home district" Grey cites as if he were some sort of director. He raises one of his left hand fingers for each rule, and he would proceed to lightly strike one finger each time with the index of his right hand.

"First: Stick to your guns" An index is raised and struck accordingly. "That applies specially for you, Al. Don't want anyone approaching us nonchalantly. If anyone gets too close for comfort, fire at will"

The lilac-haired girl shrugs. Amber sighs tiredly.

"Second: Stick to those you know won't shoot you in the back" A middle finger joins its extended brethren and also strikes the palm. "Basically, keep close to me."

Neither girl give a visible response.

"Third: Stick your eyes 360° around you" Three fingers. "That means, have eyes on your back, and eyes on the back of the eyes on your back. Don't want a crazy jumpin' on us"

Alex seems honestly bored at this point.

"And fourth…" Grey's fingers tiredly fall down. "For the love of everything that is unholy, please don't pick any fights. There's nothing worse than having to flee from a place you've just reached after 3 ungodly hours of car travel. My butt is hurting like a bitch, my back doesn't help either, my ears are buzzing worse than a fricking swarm of Giant Killer Moths, and I would really like to be able to spend a night of rest like a goddamn normalfag for once, even if I've been an insufferable douchebag for the past 7 or so hours. Can we do this?"

Neither girl give a clear response at this. Grey gives a long, tired sigh.

"Well, no one learns anything by doing it right…" Are Grey's last words before descending from the vehicle.

* * *

 

The registration goes as smoothly as Grey expects, because having the money on the double always speeds things up considerably. It doesn't take too long outside of the standard procedures, which include a few minutes spent in confusing administrative bullshit, which Grey knows is just a cover for looking at his background; thankfully, he knows his identity and data are secure behind several layers of protection thanks to the expertise of a certain friend of his, and even though that'll make the wait longer than needed and in the worst of cases cause him a few more problems in the nearby future, he's decided that he'll deal with that if or when it becomes necessary. After handing the cash to the odd-smelling receptionist and receiving the key to the floor, the Vault Hunter has Alex store said key on her person for the time being. The girl has a hard time understanding this version of a "key" though, simply put because when Alex was told she would be the one to hold onto the key to enter their room, she was expecting some form of small metallic key or a _thing_ of sorts, something that had a physical volume, you know, like _substance_ , or weight. A card would have been fine, and something within her mind told her that keys are supposed to be some sort of thin, metallic objects that are supposed to enter some form of keyhole, you know, like a physical form? Alex didn't understand why Grey had extended his hand towards the strange device that resembled a lamp of sorts in the desk, and was mildly disconcerted to see how a small hologram came to life and embedded itself on the back of Grey's palm before disappearing _inside_ of it, _puff_ , fading out of view from everyone; but the disconcert only grew bigger when, as if by magic, Grey willed the damn thing into existence _again_ and handed the mysterious light to her. Alex wasn't really sure why or how it worked.

It just did. And she wouldn't question it.

And not because she is creeped out. Nope. She definitely doesn't find creepy flickering lights unnerving.

Nope. Shaking? Must be your imagination.

Alex receives the key after the procedures are cleared and they have been accommodated. Grey tells them to go ahead and move into their room, as he still has procedures to go through. Let's be clear here: The procedures, or at least the first few ones, went as _Grey_ had expected, not as either of the girls accompanying him did.

After all, Chariot is one big cluster of nonsensical workings. The girls not being accustomed to them is, sadly, but expectedly, completely natural.

Alex begins to question what her thoughts concerning her Commander are right now, because they are wobbling between the realms of disheartening disdain, cold unimportance and sheer incomprehension. Grey had made himself crystal clear before they had entered the building, and Alex, being the trooper she was, had decided to follow through with his instructions to the letter. Keep a gun close, keep an eye on everyone and everything, and stay out of trouble.

Which in the end results hypocritical, because Grey storms off and into a riot with some asshole who almost destroys their vehicle. The guy's parking skills were downright dangerous, and when he almost crashed into Grey's Mammoth, barely avoiding contact by just a few millimeters if not the space of an atom, the Vault Hunter immediately jumps the gun. Alex wants to think that the beastly cheers prompting a fight from the outside aren't due to her Commander's short fuse.

That in place is the main reason why the girls are now alone in their shared bedroom, lost in their own thoughts.

Amber finally lets herself relax in some measure, although the auburn girl still is concerned with her hurting body. She didn't have the mind or stomach to think about anything else for good reason, and even though she has her Commander's words in mind just like Alex, her attention is more focused onto fixing her mangled self into a state where… well, _it didn't hurt_. She has a headache, and her growing frustrations keep her silent, even when her fellow Ship Girl is by no means a talkative person on her own.

Amber slowly finds herself dragged to one of the beds, in which she sits unsurely, not really comfortable both due to the unknown location and her physical state. Her mind wanders back to the small "room", if it could even be considered one, back in Granberia. It may have just been one day, but she couldn't help but feel something akin to nostalgia for the small clinic in which she had spent almost two weeks of her life, and true, while she still didn't know left from right in the least, not even after all this time in Chariot, she feels a little bit alienated, both due to the changes that she isn't sure she's liking, and what has comprised her life ever since Grey woke up again, which basically was shooting and running with little to no room to breathe in between… Well, that may have been a lie too. Grey had the decency of getting them accommodated and back in health as his first (but maybe not foremost) points, so Amber is grateful on that matter, but she still wishes that that little something of a fraction of a form of peace she had come to know in the small town would come back to her, even if it meant that all its… quirks (to not use a nastier term) were to come back. This line of thought had been appearing more recently in these two days. This thought was beginning to poke at her in the back of her mind.

The room is small, barely able to contain the two old single beds and one tattered sofa within its discolored walls. Alex had already checked the bathroom earlier, and is very relieved to see that it holds some form of decency, very much unlike her previous accommodations in Capricho. While the poor-quality marble was cracked all around, with the small indentations showing a rusted material both on the sink and the shower, she still managed to get hot water out of both nozzles, and the toilet was functioning without any problems. Back onto the room, the dull red sheets that covered the small beds hid the mattresses with the faintest scent of disinfectant (or was it chlorine?), and though it wasn't enough to be bothersome, Alex finds herself feeling strangely displaced within the new space.

She doesn't hate it, but for some morbid reason, something within her mind doesn't allow her to let her tension fade. Of course, she still had her Commander's instructions, and she clings onto them to justify her not disengaging her senses in any measure. Her arm still hurts a lot, hence her going out of her way to bandage herself in the bathroom after getting some gauze and bandages out of the bag. However, she becomes frustrated when she's unable to seal her arm as effectively as Grey had done for her this morning. Her arm feels fuzzy and itches, and the strange texture her skin gets upon being covered under bandages for the day don't please her in the least. After trying and failing for the 3rd consecutive time, she gives up, and makes an improvised sling out of the bandages she had taken with her to the bath. The process takes a lot longer than it needs to be, because even though she does have use of her right arm, she can't really raise it without flinching, and so, with use of one and a half arm, she hangs her injured member onto the sling and walks out of the bathroom after almost half an hour.

The auburn girl tries to give an encouraging smile, but she knows that her efforts to ease the lilac-haired girl's spirits aren't having much effect.

Amber fidgets for a while, her gaze eventually locking into the floor. Alex walks past her without saying a word, and stops by the large window at the end of the room, where she decides to stand on guard. Amber notes the sling on the lilac-haired girl's shoulder.

The words take a little bit too long to come out.

"U-Um…" Amber stumbles.

Alex doesn't really pay mind to her.

"A-Ano… Alex…san?" Amber manages to articulate, but her voice quivers.

The lilac-haired girl takes a while to give any response, as she continues staring out in the distance from the closed window. She can hear the sounds both from Grey and whatever crowd had gotten around him, surely due to the fight that had broken out, or at least that's what Alex thinks, but other than that, Alex also senses other sounds in the vicinity, although she has to sharpen her senses to perceive things past the growing ruckus that was going on outside the building. Alex can hear what seem to be machinery, both industrial and domestic ones from the humongous machines that are surely used for mining and the vehicles the people themselves use, although they are pretty few in comparison to the drilling machines, and even those aren't too prominent. Alex hears people more than anything else, more than the machines at least. She doesn't know much about the vegetation or animals, but she doesn't really hear anything on that account. The conversations are many, far too plenty to really pick up on any in particular to listen to, although Alex herself doesn't really try to focus on any of them in the first place, to be honest. She eventually peeks out the window, moving the fabric curtain ever so slightly to a side to see the exterior. Their room stands on the second floor of the building, and even then, it wasn't big like the few buildings she had come to see in Capricho, and to make matters worse, the room they got doesn't even face the main street, instead having a gloomy alley for a view, which explains the weak lighting inside. Alex sees a metallic wall right in front of the window, and by twisting her angle just a little bit, she could see the main road on the corner of her vision. She looks down, and finds a series of containers that surely hold loads and loads of trash, judging from the bags of black, shiny plastic that were piled up without any form of order besides them; the rest of the alley is, for all intents and purposes, unremarkable, just your usual dark and barren corridor of filth.

Alex remains in her vigilant position for a time.

"…Do you need anything?" The lilac haired girl responds, her gaze not leaving the window.

"…Um!" Amber stumbles again, caught by surprise at the odd time Alex had spoken.

She takes a little bit too long to come up with something to say.

"D-Does…" Her words fail her. "Does it… hurt?"

She feels embarrassed and ultimately disappointed for coming with such a conspicuous (to the point of foolishness) question.

"Yes" Alex responds softly, but there is no anger or lamentation in her voice. The lilac haired girl speaks simply as if laying the facts on the table. "It hurts"

Amber doesn't really know what to say.

"How about you?"

It takes Amber by complete surprise when Alex says those words.

Her voice fails her the first 4 or 5 times as she looks to return the concern.

"I… um…" She finally manages to mumble something, and her self-disappointment also grows. She would have liked to say a lot more, she wanted to find any form of comfort in the form of concern for her well-being, because this whole day has been exhausting.

Yet again, whenever her Commander was involved, everything seemed to become a lot more tiresome.

She immediately comes to her senses and continues onward, having found a spark to follow.

"I mean… my leg still hurts a lot" The auburn girl elaborates. "I shouldn't have walked around so much today… our visit to that factory didn't do any good"

"I…" Alex's voice also fades. For a moment, Amber believes that the lilac-haired girl had never spoken and that she had just heard things. "I see"

A silence that becomes needlessly heavy fills the room for a while. Amber doesn't know what Alex is thinking, and fears of becoming intrusive. They had barely known each other for a day, and that was only because of their unusual yet similar circumstances.

"I'm sorry" Amber apologizes for doing something she can't fully explain.

"I'm sorry too" Alex mimics, her voice as cool as it usually is.

And it takes them both a while to say anything more. Amber is baffled to a mild degree, not to the point of being speechless, but not quite enough of understanding what is going on either.

"I'm sorry for being such a burden, nanodesu"

"It is not I you should be apologizing to"

"I-I know, but still…"

The words don't come as well as either of the girls want to.

"Thank you"

"…I don't… deserve gratitude"

"T-that's not true…"

Amber feels as if there's finally a breakthrough, because Alex takes her gaze off the window and looks at her briefly. However, the lilac-haired girl quickly breaks eye contact and turns her gaze down, a complicated expression adorning her delicate features. Amber isn't really sure what to do about this situation.

But a part inside of her feels a little bit happy.

The sun of Chariot finally disappears in the distance, taking the crimson hues of light with it, leaving the girls within the darkening corners of their temporal abode. Alex catches some street lights being turned on one after the other, as a bluish white light sneaks itself in a very small degree into the alley their room shows. At this moment Alex notes that the previous ruckus is completely gone, having taken both the sounds of machinery and the chatter with it. Under the blanket of dusk, Alex starts hearing other sounds, although she sees much less. A gale of wind blows through Regulus' airspace, not quite intrusive and not quite loud either, but still not weak enough to be just a light blowing. The breeze of air can be heard in the rustling of whatever small vegetation is there in the small miner town, which wasn't much to begin with. This was mostly a semi-volcanic region, and although the mines and mountainside did border with the Lush Plains, there wasn't really much greenery left, as almost everything was taken out by now, leaving the terrain mostly barren. The town was founded at the base of the Algol Volcano, which had been inactive for some time now, the last recorded eruption having happened long before Chariot was colonized. Nowadays there weren't many trees around Regulus, being that most if not all of the forest bordering the region was cut down decades ago and no one cared to put it back in the least. Still, Alex was pleasantly surprised to have the rustle of lone, faraway trees accompany the dark night.

The two Ship Girls spend the break of twilight and the coming of night in serene, silent company. The temperature drops a few degrees down as the sounds of night invade the world.

Amber could get used to peaceful nights like these.

And, Alex could as well.

* * *

 

It is after about an hour or so that Grey busts in the room, after being out for nearly all evening.

"I'm back…" He says tiredly.

Amber gives a surprised and slightly mortified yelp when she sees him.

He is a mess. His hair is disheveled and messy, and he looks like he just came out of the slums. His left eye is swollen and quickly turning purple, and he is full of nasty bruises and marks all around his body, especially on the arms. His shirt is torn and is full of what seem to be cuts of some sort… and by the seven heavens, he's missing his pants and one shoe!? What in the world is he carrying in his back? Where did he get that pack in the first place? He's also carrying some plastic bags under his right arm. And upon closer inspection, Amber realizes that that shirt isn't even the one he had when he first left them in the room!

"C-Commander!? Are you okay!?" She cries from the bed. She tries to incorporate, being that she had decided to completely spread herself, but she finds herself stopped by her hurting body. "What happened!?"

"Yeah, yeah… got a black eye but I kicked his ass. It'll heal, but never mind me" Grey makes a motion with his hand, and Amber is confused further when someone comes out from behind him and into the room. Or rather, some _thing_.

Grey hasn't come alone, as he is accompanied by a… creature Amber isn't too sure what to think of. The bizarre protuberances in his head, beady dark eyes and vivid red skin (could that tissue even be considered one?) are dead giveaways that the strange figure isn't human by any means.

When Amber sees the crustacean-slash-humanoid creature step into her room, she does the most sensible thing any normal girl should and gives out a muffled scream, which dies out only due to the horror that creeps on her back and freezes her before being able to even process the events and articulate something remotely understandable. The creature produces a sound which loosely resembles some form of voice from his (its?) squishy mouth.

Needless to say, Amber has the hardest time of her life understanding the strange creature due to his (its?) strange manner of speaking, as his (its?) voice comes out distorted from whatever kind of mouth he (it?) has on his (its?) head.

The fact that the creature is also so non-caring and intrusive doesn't help either.

" _laAaayYy dOwwWn…"_ Amber manages to comprehend.

"Who are you?" Alex asks calmly, yet also shaking under her façade. If she were to be perfectly honest, this strange creature in front of her was for all intents and purposes, _repulsive_. It barely stood an inch or two above them both, although Alex could bet her bacon that it was only because of its slouched stance. The creature carried itself with slow, methodical movements with a centered and firm pace that would betray its… let's say _squishy_ appearance.

" _Ž_ _Å &¶_ _, aT yoOoUr SssSerVice"_ It hisses with a somewhat… dismissive tone.

Of course, neither of the (more) humanoids understood one bit what the hell it just called itself. Not even Grey, to be honest.

"E-excuse me…?" Amber meekly apologizes.

"The doctor…" Grey says as he moves inside the room. He walks towards the bed nearest to the entrance and places all of his bags and packages onto it, carefully opening each of them.

"What is going on here, Commander?" Amber tries to understand what is going on.

"Don't worry" He says wearily.

The (lesser) humanoid makes a bizarre sound that sounds like a whistle of some sort.

" _tEerrRrraN hoMmmiNnid?"_ Only because she's a little bit sensible, Amber guesses that it just sighed, it just _gave a long and defeated sigh_. How that is possible is beyond her. _"gOOooooD GrrRriIefF"_

He (it?) doesn't even bother with explaining himself (itself?), and with the same gruffness as before, he (it?) readily places the oddly-smelling suitcase he (it?) had come with into the center of the room. Amber jolts a bit when the suitcase emits a mechanical sound and a set of green, red and yellow lights come to life unannounced. She quickly pinpoints the origin of these unknown strobes at the suitcase, which opens to reveal a strange floating orb of sorts from within it. How did such a massive thing fit into such an ordinary case would have been high on her list until she realizes that the strange dancing beams are squirming and moving around erratically around her.

She turns to Alex for help, and doesn't find any comfort in the lilac-haired girl's unperturbed grimace. And Grey doesn't seem concerned either. Amber can only stare the strange lights fly erratically about the room for some time. She turns her attention back to the creature who had begun this neon show, and observes how a strange interface similar, but not really like an ECHO is formed in front of the creature. Some lights resembling cylinders are formed within each of the creature's "arms", while a series of "screens" filled with all sorts of incomprehensible symbols start outputting all sorts of colorful displays Amber just cannot understand.

The beams of light then change dramatically, and like by some foreign magic, they become strands of a thick glowing material that now fly around the room by their own accord, completely independent of the orb that previously emitted them. Like if they had gained lives of their own, the worms of light now playfully soar and circle around her body. For a minute or so, Amber has these lights dance around her body. They do not hurt in the least, she can't even really feel them, they have no warmth or any form of volume to speak of, and when she tries to grasp them with her uninjured arm, she is stunned to see the lights softly pass back and forth through her hand as if there wasn't anything there in the first place.

Alex is also watching everything with uncharacteristic intensity.

The lights continue to dance and circle around Amber for a few minutes, tracing her figure and circling around her arms, legs, waist, head, torso and so forth and on until they have inspected almost every inch of her body. Upon closer observation, Amber realizes that the threads of light aren't thin or smooth like silk upon closer inspection, and instead, are comprised of some incredibly bizarre symbols she's never seen before, comprised of strange curves and shapes that are too alien to understand. The lines of light are comprised of amalgamations of these symbols, which change at every passing second in sequences she can't understand. She then realizes that the symbols that are running in the creature's holographs are very similar if not the same.

"Stay still…" Grey ways, looking casually at Amber's directions.

Not like she would do otherwise.

"Who is… him?" Alex carefully chooses the form of referring to the odd creature.

"G.F. Medic" Grey says.

"…Excuse me?"

"Galactic Fed-"

" _EeeXx"_ The creature interrupts Grey.

" _Ex_ -Galactic Federation Medic" Grey corrects himself. "I was quite lucky, actually…"

"Does it have to do with your state?" Alex asks impassively.

Grey takes a little bit too long to respond.

"…Yeah"

"Should we… be worried?"

"Maybe?"

"Why are you asking me, sir?"

"Godda-" Grey begins, but his energy fades as well as his words. He shakes his head. "You know what? I'm too tired for this…"

Grey doesn't grace the girl with his sour mug. He finishes unloading the bags, and Alex eyes a series of colorful small packages among as well as some plastic containers. All of them are branded with etiquettes and the like. Upon closer inspection, Alex realizes that it is food. Grey takes one particular package and presses it against his black eye. He grunts a bit at the chilling touch of frosted steak, but doesn't complain out loud.

"Take anything you want" He says, and drops himself onto the sofa, where he spreads himself wide open. "I'm not sure what you wanted so I just picked whatever"

Alex approaches the objects in question cautiously, and realizes that Grey has not unloaded a bag that is different from the others. It is the one Grey had been carrying in his back, and is a travelling one rather than a grocery bag like the others which the packages had come from. Alex doesn't say anything about it, and inspects the various edibles that ungraciously lie before her instead. She inspects them for a few seconds, and finally decides on one small blue and grey aluminum package. While she is somewhat disconcerted at the strange things that are inside the envelope at first, she shrugs and eats the unfamiliar lumps of dried red-and-green meat, which belongs to a creature known as "Killer Molerat", as Alex learns from the label. The meat is soft and easy to chew, and the taste isn't half bad, so Alex eats them without complains.

After some minutes of awkward silence, Amber's check-up is completed, and Alex undergoes the very same procedure just after her. Amber doesn't feel any different, though, and she still feels as bad as before. With a growing bad mood, she decides to at least question her Commander.

Or at least tries to, because Grey is completely unresponsive. At some point before Amber's check-up was completed, he had taken out the steak from its package completely and placed the cool piece of meat in his face, covering his vision completely. Amber finds herself struggling, because it seems that Grey isn't really in a mood to talk either.

In the end, Amber decides to wait a little bit longer.

* * *

And a long waiting she gets. After Alex's revision is completed, Grey and the strange creature leave the room, leaving both girls alone again. Both Grey and the doctor stand right in front of the door, and although they aren't exactly speaking lowly, they are clearly trying to not drag too much attention.

"… _serious?"_ She hears Grey's voice.

And she can't really decipher or understand the response that the creature gives.

" _Does this mean that they…?"_

Another strange sound. Amber couldn't understand how Grey can understand the creature. Those noises can hardly be described as a voice, let alone a form of communication.

A moment of silence.

" _All right, thanks for everything"_ Grey's voice conveys weariness on just one degree higher than the last time.

Another noise comes as a response, and the strange clattering that the creature made in its walk leaves them. Amber guesses from it that the creature's already left. Grey eventually comes into the room once more. He shifts awkwardly for a moment, still holding the steak over his face, and walks in circles around the room for a moment.

Amber starts getting dizzy of seeing Grey moving back and forth. It's clear that the young man has something bothering him, but seems reluctant to share it. The pouncing goes on for some time, until Grey gives an irritated sigh and finally faces the girls.

"Are you aware that you can eat metal?" He asks.

A second of silence.

Five seconds of silence.

Twenty seconds of silence.

Grey stares with his characteristic intensity. For a moment Amber wants to think that it must be a joke of some sort, however, the steak in Grey's face made the thing a lot more comical, all things considered. But even then, the look in his eye made it clear that the Vault Hunter is being certainly and completely serious.

Naturally, the only response that the girl can muster is a…

"W-what?"

Grey sighs.

"Of course…"

"Would you mind explaining yourself, Commander?" Alex asks calmly.

The young man takes some time before beginning to speak.

"According to the doc" He cites, taking off the steak from his face, revealing the darkened skin around his eye. His intended seriousness is countered by his ridiculous appearance. "Your internal structure… most of your muscular tissue is comprised of a semi-organic matrix of some unique metallic compound, and most of your bones have several layers of a similar nano-metal overlapped on them. And if that wasn't enough, it seems that your bodies are capable of producing, absorbing and restoring those tissues by the ingestion or exposure of similar materials"

"And in understandable terms?" Alex deadpans.

Grey snorts a bit.

"You're basically metal under your skin, and you can eat metal to heal injuries" Grey resumes.

Amber doesn't know what to say to the declaration.

"Or well, not exactly" Grey pinches the bridge of his nose. Only momentarily, though, as he accidentally touches the injured side of his face. He grunts at the spike of pain, and presses the steak into his aching face once again.

"W-what are you saying, nanodesu?" Amber manages to form a coherent phrase.

"Beats me" Grey deadpans. "That's what the doc said. To be honest, I'm not completely sure about all this either"

Grey wavers.

"…That's not everything, right?"

Grey finds himself scrutinized by Alex's icy blue eyes. He can't fathom to really look at her in the eye, so he caves in.

"…Yeah" He says. "It seems that you're not human. Or at least, not the terran variant"

Both girls become silent at the declaration. Grey becomes uncomfortable, so he goes on.

"Metal Eaters are uncommon, and I haven't really heard of human Metal Eaters. But according to the doc's analysis, roughly 80% of your bone structure is comprised of metal, and your digestive system is capable of processing most metallic isotopes. For you to _be_ metallic under your skin and not having your organs break down due to the toxicity is astounding, to not say creepy" Grey elaborates.

"…How reliable is that doctor?" Alex asks coolly.

"I-I find it hard to b-believe that too!" Amber protests.

"…Yeah, me too" Grey agrees. "However, it does make sense, as much as I'd like to believe otherwise. Remember how the medi-kits didn't work on you?"

The girls reminisce to this morning. Amber doesn't know what to say in response to that.

"Medi-kits are supposed to restore organic tissue, if your bones and muscles are mostly metal, then it makes sense that they didn't work properly" Grey hypothesizes.

Alex doesn't seem fazed, however, when she speaks, her voice falters a little bit.

"Then what's going to happen to us?"

Grey scratches his forehead.

"I'm not sure. I don't really trust the analysis" The Vault Hunter says. "Maybe you should just eat one of the cars outside, preferably not ours"

"W-w-what!?" Amber shrieks.

"I was being sarcastic" Grey deadpans.

A pregnant silence fills the room for a minute.

"Well, this was a waste of time" Grey sighs. "I thought I could get you fixed here and get another one of you without any hiccups, but of course, shit never goes as expected. Shouldn't have jumped the gun so quickly…"

"Then…" Alex mumbles. "Then what are we going to do?"

Grey gives a thoughtful look to the lilac-haired girl, and pats her gently. Alex lets the pampering go on somewhat reluctantly. Even if she couldn't really understand her Commander, she found that she liked receiving such simple gestures of affection.

"I'm not changing my plans" Grey declares. "I'm not letting this trip go to waste, not when we're so close to getting another one of you"

Amber's eyes widen a bit in surprise.

"I've also investigated a bit, and I can confirm what the guy back at the factory told us" Grey elaborates. "The color-coded gangs the guy told us about have been causing trouble on town. The Blues have been holing up in-"

Amber yelps when the death of the night is perturbed at the same time Grey is interrupted by the sounds of gunshots, explosions and shattering glass. Shouts are heard from outside as people are waken from their peaceful slumber, and the peace of the night is stripped away to be replaced by a riot.

"W-what is going on!?" Amber yells hysterically.

"Both of you, stay here!" Grey orders, as he immediately reaches for the odd bag that he had left alone earlier, which he opens to reveal a series of guns the girls hadn't seen before, as they weren't with the assorted weapons they had looted (Amber knew it was thoroughly and squarely stolen, but otherwise didn't think much about it) from the bandit earlier today, which include a small shiny Maliwan SMG with orange lights adorning its casing and other similar weapons. "Take whatever you like, lock yourselves here and wait for me to come back! Don't open to anyone who isn't me!"

Grey selects a stylish jet-black Shotgun adorned with shiny silver accents from the arsenal and storms out, the riot growing only bigger as he disappears from the girl's field of view.

The night had just broken out, leaving Amber and Alex alone yet again.

"W-what are we going to do!?" Amber cries.

And responding without words, Alex quickly takes one of the guns that Grey had left behind. However, she doesn't stand still, as she gives decisive steps towards the door.

"A-Alex-san!? You can't be serious!"

And serious she is. Alex turns back to her fellow Kanmusu momentarily.

"I'm not letting the Commander fight alone" Alex declares.

Amber doesn't know if Alex's courage if just a front.

"…What about you?" Alex asks, her voice becoming a little…. _Soft_ of all things.

Alex glares at Amber. Amber can see a lot of things in Alex's cool grimace.

Determination.

Fear.

The desire to fight.

The desire of not staying behind.

"You…"

Amber feels something that is both unpleasant and at the same time, fulfilling. She already has her answer.

All this time in Chariot. All this time in this stupid, nonsensical planet that used violence for everything, and she still refused to accept it. She hated it, yet, she would go on forward.

"You're really, really STUPID, nanodesu!"

Amber gives an uncharacteristic sigh of irritation. These two pulled her around in all the wrong ways. Fighting against her injured self and the ever-growing feeling of sheer _rage_ , she picks up her weapons. Her legs and waist ache tremendously, but she bites them down despite everything.

Because in the end, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't fight, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't fight.

Her Commander wasn't a good influence, she thought as both of them joined yet again another shootout they had no reason of getting involved to. This wasn't the first, and Amber knew it wouldn't be the last.


	16. Dragon Road Night

When Grey finally reaches the lobby once more (but not before coming back to his room to get a new pair of pants and shoes), he unsurprisingly finds that chaos has taken over the once silent streets of Regulus. The first thing he notices as he peeks from the entrance is that there are pale golden flames shining from the walls, windows and faces of the buildings.

"Holy shit" The Vault Hunter's feels his lungs fail for an instant, and thereafter half-whimpers, half sighs. "Not now…"

"What's going on, Commander?" Amber huffs behind him, finally loading the last of the weapons into her Holder, pain not-withstanding.

"We're about to be swarmed" He responds in the same tone as his whimper.

And without need for confirmation, Amber and Alex see with their own eyes how the buildings are raided open without mercy, at the same time that more of the unnatural yellow fires erupt from their broken windows and doorframes, with screams from the outside accompanying the confrontation between the bandits and the locals of Regulus. The following silence that momentarily takes over only exalts the tension, yet it is quickly broken by the orders from the bandit leaders to reorganize their numbers, which is followed by the locals who also compose their ranks.

The trio is then joined by the people who come rushing downstairs, probably those who were also staying at the inn tonight.

"What the heck is going on!?" One burly man with a crooked face shouts, his voice raspy and clearly angry, probably because of a lack of sleep.

"There seems to be an altercation outside" A humanoid figure far too lanky (and green) to be human points out calmly, and joins the fray after producing a weapon from his backpack. The alien is quickly followed through by some of the more trigger-happy residents, while others scram for the back.

"Orders, sir?" Alex inquires clinically, her slim fingers reaching for the Anaconda at her thigh.

"I told you to stay back, didn't I?" Grey retorts humorlessly, more of a statement than an actual question.

"No" Amber of all people steps in. Her tone is apparently serene, but the underlying anger isn't subtle enough to go unnoticed either. "This nonsense will reach us sooner or later, and I won't stand by while you get yourself hurt"

Grey raises an eyebrow.

"Amber-"

"NO!" She interrupts him. "I don't care if I'm broken beyond saving. I do not care that you tell me to stand back. I do _not_ care. **_I will not let my Commander fight alone!_** "

"Who said these were **_your_** fights!?" Grey retorts, his anger also getting the better of him.

"The moment you are involved, it becomes my fight too, nanodesu!" Amber spurts back with her feelings on her sleeves. "How can I make you understand!?"

"How can I make _you_ understand, you idiot!?" Grey retorts angrily. "Don't you see the state you're in!?"

"I do not care!" Amber cries back, clearly overtaken by anger.

Not that Grey's any better, whether he's right or not.

"Don't act all tough on me!" He growls. "You can barely stand as it is!"

"So what!? Am I supposed to let you go and pull another stupid stunt!? What's next after that black eye!? A lost leg!? A hole in your head!?"

"Goddammit, Amber!"

"I do not believe this is the time for quarreling" One of the guests steps in, and when Grey and Amber turn, they find a tall woman, one _far too tall_ compared to anyone else in the room, garbed in combat gear (also equally big for the average human to fit her frame), crouching on her knees between them, having to do so to be remotely near their level. Grey visibly flinches at the giantess stepping into his personal space, although Amber's irritation only grows further.

"This isn't the best moment for it" The big woman states solemnly, her hands with three burly digits resting on her knees. "Lest you wish to die sooner rather than later"

**"** **GRRAGH!"** Grey kicks the floor, skipping away from Amber and the unknown woman, remembering a certain giant that he had recently disposed of.

There are far too many people still inside the inn, and Grey starts mentally running through them, and he finds himself scratching the back of his skull. Many of them are adults, with a big number of them tilting towards old age, practically no one younger than himself or the girls, although he does note that there seems to be an alien boy alone.

He runs through his options. He fails to do so effectively because of the anger.

"Can the people out there actually do jack to the bandits?" He asks solemnly to no one in particular.

And he doesn't get an immediate answer, as he'd expect.

"Considering this is a mining town first, I'd think it hard" The tall woman points out clinically after waiting for the others in the lobby to say anything.

"The fuck!?" One of the elder human men scoffs at the observation, quickly stepping towards the much bigger woman (and neither of them flinches for even a second). "You callin' Regulus weak!?"

"Stop right there" She interjects, calmly but also firmly. "The fight is out there, so unless you wish to join them, it'd be unwise to cause more conflict".

"We Regulusians ain't no cowards!"

"Your point is?"

"Who the hell do you think saved this place from Exodus 10 years ago!?" The elder man snaps. "It was nothing but ourselves! We kicked 'em out once, and will do it again to anyone who fucks with us!"

"Yet I don't see _you_ rushing out there" Amber states caustically.

Alex winces at her companion's unprecedented behavior, and the elder also stops cold in his tracks. A pregnant pause follows through, until Grey's gears kick back in motion and he allows his frustration to resume, surprise notwithstanding.

"Look, I like bandits as much as the next guy, and I like to think everyone here's not with them, because no one's started shooting me dead yet" The Vault Hunter says. "But if you won't…" He pauses, and after a half a second of consideration, he adds with mild regard (the bitterness waning if only a little). "Or _can't_ do anything, stay put or run away already, will you? You're only asking for a bullet in the ass"

The elder recedes after considering the Vault Hunter's words, grumpily at that, but still does so, allowing Grey a small sigh. An unsettling woman with dark blue hair, ghastly pale skin and deep black eyes way too large to be simply human then steps from the group of residents towards the Vault Hunter.

"Are _you_ going to do anything?" She says with an eerily screechy voice.

Grey puffs air from his mouth up his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why are you all still here, really?" He asks in honest concern.

"The only people left are elders and children, and not many of us can fight" The upsetting woman elaborates. "We're mostly locals, but those that remain here have nowhere to go. Anyone that could run away has done so by now".

It made sense. The people who could have scurried away had already done so, like those from when they first came downstairs. The vehicles were in the back after all.

"So what's your game plan? Hold the fort until everything sorts itself out?" Grey says, without letting his cynicism hide in the very least.

"We don't have much of a choice" She says strangely calm, given the situation. Grey eyes her for a moment, and her dark irises, much larger to be those of his own kind (or race, dammit, what was it with these ridiculously human aliens, anyway!?) do not falter for a single moment. Grey has to break free from eye contact, for her gaze is way too piercing.

Alex notes that this particular alien woman made her Commander clearly uncomfortable, enough to at least baulk his ire.

The windows of the inn then explode.

"Everyone down!" The giantess exclaims as she takes point, immediately producing a large Maliwan Laser from her Deck, far too big to be used by a normal human, for her hands and complexion need equally larger guns to fight, and retaliates back at the invaders with burning charges while holding the entrance.

"Shit!" Grey grunts, doing as she had ordered out of reflex. Fortunately no one was close to the entrance, being that they were in the side room near the reception, but the sound of the glass shattering so close did startle everyone within the room.

"Commander! They're here!" Amber hurriedly points out when the giantess steps out of the room, with about a dozen or so bandits onto her, already with guns blazing and laughs rioting.

"Son of a-!"

Grey doesn't get to finish his curse, for the bandits don't hesitate to fire back at the giantess, making him flinch in return at the stray bullets that reach into his position, forcing him to take cover before allowing him to assess the situation. Grey then hears a powerful blast, followed by an immediate scream.

"You bitch!" One bandit shouts at the sight of his comrade being blown away by a ridiculously powerful gunshot.

"Little one! Get the others to safety!" The giantess exclaims as she continues firing against the incoming bandits, having switched her big Laser gun for an equally gargantuan shotgun, one that would almost seem like a Rocket Launcher from the average human's perspective.

"Say what!?" Grey shrieks a bit at the second round of the giantess' gun, which briefly drowns all other sounds in the vicinity. Damn, that thing sure was powerful. Grey does peek from his cover. "Oh, hell no!"

"Francis!? What the hell are you doing!?"

One of the bandits from the rear starts running towards the giant woman, with a pair of glass bottles ready in each hand, and after he tosses them in their general direction, Grey can only watch agape one of the bottles flying through one of the broken windows.

Soon, golden flames engulf the reception, finally making the inn burn like the rest of the buildings of Regulus.

"What the hell is that!?" One of the alien residents exclaims at the unnatural fire that spreads far too quickly into their hiding, unstopped by the general lack of immediate flammable materials.

**"** **EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"** The grumpy elder from before exclaims.

Both Alex and Amber find themselves second-guessing, but at the sight of Grey also scurrying the hell out of the room, they follow him through while mildly agape. Alex, being the more combat-oriented and ready of the two Kanmusu (injuries not withstanding either), trusts that her Commander's guts and vaster experience in dealing with bandits and Chariot in general means that his alarm at the hazard is immediate and imperative. Amber, on the other hand, is functioning on a low-level hysteria that keeps her wobbling and dulled senses from getting in her way, and as if following an instinct she didn't know she possessed, she keeps a formation with her teammate, moving along Alex and Grey.

Sadly, a big number of the other residents aren't as quick to respond.

"What is that fire!?" The only kid in the group inquires as soon as he steps away from imminent burns, the other human that was beside him not being so lucky.

"Slowburn Emulsion" The elder responds. "Do **_not_** get anywhere near those flames. That shit **_will_** burn you until leaving only parts of your bones, **_if_** you're lucky"

"Weren't all the deposits closed!?" A somewhat scholarly-looking middle-aged man with a previously tidy formal shirt exclaims after being taken out of his stupor, trying to (and failing spectacularly) hide the fear from his voice.

"They were!" The elder exclaims. "What the hell are these imbeciles up to!? Do they want to bring everyone and their mothers here!?"

"I- But…" Grey's babbles, but manages to compose himself. "How the hell did they get their hands on that shit!?"

"Fuck me if I know!" The elder snaps. "No one sells that shit anymore!"

"The entrance says otherwise, dammit!" Grey practically screams. "They must have gotten it _somewhere_!"

"All the deposits near the volcano are closed!" The scholar shrieks.

Grey watches horrific realization hit the elder.

"You think these motherfuckers settled in the old mines!?" The elder shouts.

The Vault Hunter's expression comes to match the elder's.

* * *

 

The screams from the streets do not make the grim situation any brighter. Neither Grey nor the girls can make any definitive or distinctive sounds from the outside gunshots and explosions either.

Golden embers, eerie and unnatural rise from the ground and smoke starts filling the air, quickly forming dark clouds that wouldn't be seen in this night if not for the fire, slowly but surely pushing fear into all the present people.

Alex scans the remaining guests of the inn as well as her fellow Kanmusu and Commander, unable to withhold a growing and unpleasant feeling in her stomach. Her cold mask is crumbling by the second… and she can't do anything to stop it.

She is still _conscious_ ; she knows _where_ she stands _right now_. She knows _what_ she's doing, what she's _supposed_ to be doing. Now of all times, the sound of shattering glass breaks her concentration, because even if she knows all this, she _still_ feels displaced amongst everything.

_She can't bring herself to look at the fire._

Alex silently places her gaze on her Commander. Grey keeps demanding answers, while the elder answers to the best of his abilities amidst all the chaos, although the words do not register completely. Her Commander is _focused_ , albeit angrily, but he keeps himself dedicated to the task in front of him. He is looking back and forth- no, _everywhere_ at once; the situation in front of him, the people who cannot defend themselves, the bandits just outside, the giant alien woman who is fighting the bandits alone still inside the reception, both herself and Amber, and the old man who's trying to explain.

But Alex can't bring herself to stare for long at the actual source of her distress.

Her conscious memories and impulses tell her to focus, to overcome her useless arm and injuries and fight back at the enemies, _that she's been far worse_ ; to take the Anaconda in her thigh and suppress the bandits that the giantess is holding back. One fall after the other, but for every one of them that falls, two or three more join the fight.

And all the while, the creeping flames do not recede in the least.

_Fire_.

A ghost of a memory hovers behind her subconscious. A voice that is hers yet not hers screams inside her, putting her in a trance.

_Fire that forms a line along the surface of the distant waters_.

_A line of light across an otherwise dark night, mirrored in the surface_.

_And a desire that burns to bring everything below_.

Alex feels that someone is _beside_ her, someone who isn't herself, her Commander or Amber, but for some reason, she can't look at them in the eye. Her eyes keep staring down…

_Below into the void_.

_"_ _Five enemies remaining and increasing, ammunition insufficient, position compromised, shielding falling apart, enemies surrounding position"_

Alex breathes heavily once more. Her eyes look hazily and without real focus at the giantess bringing an equally giant fist upon a bandit's skull, for him to fall limply down, then at the people at her back.

For some reason, it seems that there are far more of them than there actually are in the burning lobby, people screaming and bellowing in a wide array of emotions. But she can't see any of their faces.

When Grey calls for her, she answers, her mind snapping out of the spell she was falling into.

And she's thankful that he doesn't notice her current state.

Destroyer Alex was Admiral Grey Arkham's most capable subordinate, after all.

* * *

When Amber finds herself scurrying out of the reception, she doesn't let anything stop her from letting her emotions unwind. She's pissed beyond belief, in a way she hadn't thought possible, as if such an emotion was completely foreign to her. She isn't thinking about it at this moment, her mangled self is only focused in surviving this horrible night. And yet, amidst her rage, she finds it strangely comforting to let herself let everything go after weeks of piled up stress and both little and big things coming together one after the other.

She really wants to smack her Commander, if not _a lot_ of sense into him, then at least just the hard-headedness out of the excuse of a human being that Admiral Grey Arkham is. Her mind races from the little things to the larger ones in a disarrayed mess that is actually not that unorganized.

Amber has thankfully (?) not experienced this sort of anger long enough to find the same catharsis that her Commander relishes in unwinding in violence.

But, in the end, Destroyer Amber is a kind individual, no matter how much anger boils inside her, and as poor as the control over her own emotions is (which actually is surprisingly above the average Joe in Chariot, and obviously above her own Commander). She cannot just disregard these innocent people, children, elder, and even alien alike.

And due to her frenzy of all things, in which she tries to keep an eye on everything at once (yet her actual cognition on the current events is on the lower side compared to normal), a stray thought slips way into her mind as she takes note that her Commander is angrily and also worriedly looking back and forth between the lobby and the incoming bandits.

_"_ _Ah, he's worried about them after all…"_

And as soon as the thought enters her head, it leaves equally as fast and subtly. Her more ferocious side burns her into dragging her Commander out of this mess with her own two hands, while her more rational, considerate side (which is what she's normally the most like) keeps her from following said thoughts.

The metal panel at the side of her Gearbox is loaded with a high amount of weapons, and she's tempted into reaching out for whatever is the most dangerous gun inside of it and blast her foes away.

With brows furrowed and eyes dangerously crazed, Amber watches two more bandits fall down with gaping holes in their chests, courtesy of the giantess' Laser, which had eventually burned through their shields and into their bodies. In other circumstances, she would have felt incredibly disturbed at the sight, but as she stood right at this moment, she couldn't care less.

The building is burning; there are far too many people inside, the outside is a fucking warzone, she can't bring her Ship Gun out in her current state, and her leg and ribs are acting up again. Amber is at her wit's end, although for a whole different reason compared to the arena in just the previous town.

Yet she's far more furious now, more furious than ever.

* * *

"The old eastern mine!" The elder grunts.

"Wasn't it abandoned!?" The scholar shrieks from his hiding position.

"Of-fucking-course!" The old man retorts. "But it was the only place left that still had some juice in it!"

Grey would have loved to hear the rest of the story, but right now, he didn't have the time nor mind to hear it.

"Are you certain?" He asks.

"Hell no!" The elder answers angrily. "That's only my best bet!"

Grey regards the answer only for a moment, making his decision quickly. Everything is falling in place, stacking against his favor just like usual, so he has to break a leg.

"I'll take it. Everyone, follow me!"

Grey shouts, and it doesn't take long for the residents to register his words. Grey does not wait for them to question him, and he thankfully doesn't have to double back on them doing so. He was offering an exit, or at least, what seems to be anything remotely close to a plan, which everyone desperately needs, so they follow without complaining, even the old man. The Vault Hunter motions everyone to follow him to the back door of the building, standing on the opened door while shooing everyone into the outside.

Alex and Amber are the last ones in line, and once they make sure everyone is outside, they do direct their attention to their Commander.

"What are we going to do, Commander?" The lilac-haired girl asks pensively.

Grey takes a deep sigh, for he knows he's about to get an earful from at least one of his Kanmusu.

"You're both staying" He says irritably.

**_"_** ** _WHAT!?"_** The auburn girl's yell comes immediately.

"We **don't** have time" Grey sidesteps forcefully, not letting the girl uproot more than she's already done. He's barely thinking straight at this point, and even if he works wonders under pressure, it's not good for his or Amber's mental health. Alex does seem frustrated as well.

"I'm blowing up the old mine" Grey says hurriedly. "And neither of you will not do us any good in your current state. You can't even bring your cannon out, for God's sake! So you're staying with these people to help them get out of this place"

"I said I'm not letting you fight alone!" Amber cries.

**"** **YOU'RE A FUCKING LIABILITY, AMBER!"** Grey finally snaps, not mincing his words any longer.

That serves to stop her cold. Grey feels like a scumbag immediately, but he doesn't let it stop him; he's not going to let her go to her death. And he doesn't have Alex to back him up this time, for the lilac-haired girl's face twists into a cold, scorning grimace that almost seems betrayed.

"It is our duty to fight, Commander" The lilac-haired Kanmusu articulates slowly, beating the anger into herself. "You cannot ask us not to do what we're here for"

"Who the hell says you _must_ fight, dammit?" Grey spurts back.

"You're about to do something stupid again, Commander!" Amber practically screams.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything!?" Grey snarls, taking one step forward.

**"** **ARE YOU THAT STUPID, COMMANDER!?"**

Grey is the one to stop dead cold in his tracks this time. Amber's voice had become dangerous. In his years of surviving between the craziness, the filth and gunpowder, he had come to know that sometimes it was time to shut up, as you came upon people that needed to say their piece. The amount of times this had happened and _not_ ended in a satirical or nonsensical note he could count with one hand, and he didn't even need all of his fingers. The normally meek Amber had finally reached her boiling point.

She was not having any of his shit any longer.

"First you almost get yourself killed with your stupid assault on that pirate boat. **DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO KEEP YOU ALIVE, COMMANDER!?** "

Grey is unable to answer.

**"** **I had to sit through** **_10_ ** **hours of watching you writhe and bleed through your skin. I had to watch your bones being drilled and put back together, your skin and muscles slashed, pierced and stitched back together again and again, to watch you scream in agony due to the lack of anesthetics, but you don't even remember that, do you!?"**

Amber takes a moment to catch her breath, her face lowers, hiding her eyes under her bangs, and as soon as she regains her breath, she continues without mercy. Grey inadvertently finds himself taking a step back.

**"** **Then I had to wait another 10 days for you to wake up. Do you have any idea how hard it was to survive in that town of lunatics who wanted to literally dine on my insides!? I had to deal with a bunch of crazy pirates that are completely insane! And the first thing you do once you wake up!? Get into the evilest, most disgusting possible place nearby and nearly get yourself killed once more"**

Amber finally raises her head, her face chock-full of tears, and her voice finally breaks a little.

"I have nothing but you, Commander" And they start flowing. "Why must you push your luck so much? How long until you stop and take care of yourself for once?"

Amidst all her anger, amidst all her frustration, amidst everything that he had put her through, her kindness shines. And it hurts, it _physically hurts him_ to have this small piece of heaven look at him the way she does.

He finishes taking his step back.

Grey Arkham is not like the many denizens of the backwater, unofficial prison known as Chariot, and there are a number of things he can thank that for. His circumstances had led him to where he stood, as well as his decisions. Similar is for certain, after all, he's not a paragon in any sort of means, neither as a criminal, nor as a respectable individual, for he walks the fine line. After all, Grey Arkham was a man of action. Not of pen, not of words, and certainly not of intellect in the least, but one who would stubbornly carry on through with everything he'd set his mind to. It's the very reason he stands in an unknown town with two alien girls to his name and a bunch of innocents that need evacuation, and not with the attackers that have set the once peaceful town of Regulus in flames.

He takes another step back.

For all his bravado, words and actions, he still fails to grasp one particular aspect of his actual situation, for he doesn't truly understand the responsibility that had befallen upon him weeks ago, _that he had imposed upon himself._ Impulsive as he is, and even with the ghosts of the chains and actual chains and shackles he carries through with him to this day, results of bad decisions, worse consequences and their accompanying circumstances that loop back onto more bad decisions.

He's the kind that takes one step forward and then two steps back, after all. Only that he's knuckleheaded enough to not see it.

It's coming back full circle, like usual.

Only this time, he has someone to tell him he's screwing up.

Of course these girls have no one else but him. Amber's been with him the longest, yet most of this time she's been alone, working herself through the bizarre piece of work that Chariot is without him to guide her. He's been rather Spartan in his approach, he realizes, or maybe, instead of Spartan, he's been his usual aloof piece of shit self. Alex on the other hand? She's had the worst share of all of this, for she's been actually doing her damned best to stay alive after weeks of abuse and malnutrition in Capricho. Looking back, it's actually a wonder the lilac-haired Kanmusu hasn't snapped like pretty much everyone else in this planet.

Grey realizes once more, or more like reaffirms to himself: He's a real asshole, like usual, only that this time, he can say it without the cynicism softening the blow. He would punch himself in the face right here and now, if it weren't that he's processing through this at a rate that in other circumstances would alarm himself.

Thankfully, this time he's glad to still have the function to empathize.

Oh boy, what a piece of an Admiral these two girls have?

Because even if he realizes this, this irredeemable excuse of a human being known as Grey Arkham will still go through with this.

"I…" Grey's voice trails off. "I'm sorry"

Amber's tears only keep falling, only that this time, Grey can't dare to look at her in the eye, and Amber bitterly knows the continuation before the words even form in her Commander's lips.

"But I can't"

"What…" Amber's voice becomes as thin as a thread. Grey isn't looking at her anymore.

"I am **ordering** you" He turns their back to them. He's not completely sure if his words will stick, but he has to take this blind leap, because he can't stand to watch them any longer. "Stay with these people and help them evacuate. You **will not** follow me, you will keep these people safe and get them out of here, and you **will not wait for me** "

"You're really stupid, nanodesu" Amber tilts her head back, covering her eyes with her sleeve. Her voice has cracked down in defeat. "You'll really do anything to gather another of us?"

Grey doesn't answer her question, instead handing the keys of the Mammoth to Alex.

"Take them out of town"

He doesn't dare to look at her either. He doesn't want to see Alex's cold eyes.

But he doesn't have to anyways, because at that instant, everything goes to hell once more. The rear wall of the inn, the one which was facing the parking lot blows open at that moment, and through the giant hole and rubble, the giantess jumps back into her feet, dusting the pieces of concrete off her head and face.

"Little one!? What are you still doing here!?" The giantess exclaims as she gathers her surroundings, yet still clearly dazed by her trip across the walls.

"What the-!?" Grey responds hurriedly, taking aim with the fully loaded Dahl Carbine in his hands. He quickly lowers it once he recognizes the alien hulk.

"Shit. We're still in the middle of evacuating these people!" He cries.

The giantess roars angrily, taking her Laser in one arm while she calls for her own Assault Rifle to the other, and finally fights without reservations. Amidst the yellow fire, her unnatural red eyes gleam with ferocity.

With the burst-fire turned off, Grey scores two hits to the torso of the bandit nearest to him that comes from the new hole in the wall.

The streets across from the inn have been lit, and not because of the public lighting in the very least, but because of scorching flames. The riot goes on along with the frenzied screams of the surviving people, with a high amount of them having already perished in the crossfire, for their bodies pile together on the sides. Grey can't really fathom to make sense of who is who or who's shooting who at this moment between the defenders of Regulus and the Blues. But he doesn't have time for the current confrontation.

"I'm going to need your help!" He says hurriedly while picking on the next bandit. He's inwardly thankful for Alex's cover fire as well, as the lilac haired girl uses her Anaconda to wonderfully pick at her enemies' heads.

"What is it!?" The giantess exclaims passionately.

"I'm gonna need you to cover me. I'm going into the old mines!" Grey responds.

"Amidst all this chaos!?" The giantess downs three more enemies with her Ass Beeter!

"Precisely because there's all this chaos! This place is about to become a fucking three-way shitfest once the Reds arrive!" Grey roars, running dangerously short on bullets on his current magazine. "We're going to strike the Blue motherfuckers at their base while they are busy dealing with both the Regulusians _and_ the Reds!"

"You'd give them the advantage!?"

An Emulsion cocktail blows up in the ground nearby them, forcing them to pull back. A group of the Regulusian defenders that were chasing the bandits open fire from the entrance of the inn, doing a number to the squad of about a dozen blue-clad bandits with relative ease. The residents, for the most part, are unable to fight back, so they take cover wherever they can find.

"I have a plan… sort of!" Grey exclaims, hiding behind a turned car. While thankful for the accidental assistance from the Regulusian defenders, pretty much all the residents are caught in the crossfire from both sides. "I need to get to the old mines for it!"

"Understood. Lead the way, little one!" The giantess agrees easily. In other circumstances Grey would have questioned her willingness, but as it stood right now, he was really running out of options.

"Well, shit!" Grey snarls at the gunshots that break his shield. "They're not making it any easier!"

"What is your plan, little one? If these blue ruffians are coming from the mines, aren't we walking straight into the beast's jaws?"

"Yes and no" Grey says. "If anything, I'm placing this under one very high-risk bet"

But before he can explain himself, a small group of more than a dozen bandits rush into their position, 2 of them carrying cocktails in their hands, and they do not hesitate to toss them onto them as soon as they are close enough, with other four gunning down everyone else who's not part of the Blue faction, and the remaining five rushing directly towards himself and his companion, with a few of them falling under the Regulusian's fire.

" ** _MOTHERFUCKER!_** " The vehicle right behind Grey and the left area of the floor under him are lit ablaze by the bandit's bombs, making the Vault Hunter and giantess jump in extreme alarm at the risk of having their faces burned to a crisp. " ** _HOT! HOT! HOT!_** "

Immediately primed and ready at the danger, Grey engages the aggressors, using his rifle to quickly make work of the one closest to him with two burst-rounds to the bandit's naked torso.

But of course, Grey is then sprayed by two of the two bandits carrying guns, and soon enough, the rest of those that had come for them and those that had also set fire to the building join the gunfight, and it spells disaster.

Grey's shield quickly gives out, and he's reached by the bullets from the bandits' mismatched Assault Rifle and Submachine Gun, which pierce his left shoulder and the side of his stomach. The only thing Grey can do is grunt and fire back; and thankfully (or sadly, depending on where you look at it from) due to the lack of cover, Grey manages to shoot down the bandit with his Assault Rifle.

"COMMANDER!" Amber screams with every fiber of her being as Grey slumps down, mimicked by Alex.

"Little one! Are you alright!?" The giantess calls in honest worry, using the burning light of her Laser to dig literal holes through two of the aggressors' torsos while also scurrying towards the Vault Hunter, as she's closest to him.

"F-Fuck!" Grey manages to spurt. Thankfully, the shot to his shoulder had not pierced anything vital and the bullet hadn't embedded into him, having exited his body, and while that would cause hemorrhage, it was better than having to deal with a lodged bullet that would surely incapacitate his whole arm. The shot to his stomach, however, had been worse. Luckily nothing important pierced either, no organ damage, but it did embed itself into his insides, which would make continued movement a hassle.

Grey realizes at his fifth click that the gun's out of rounds, and when he makes a move to take out the empty magazine from the barrel to reload, he is shot yet again by the bandit with the Assault Rifle, barely missing the target. Grey holds his ground through clenched teeth and his smoldering left shoulder and stomach, managing to reload and fight back.

Another bandit dies to three shotgun rounds piercing his torso, courtesy of the giantess and some well-placed suppression fire from Alex, to be followed by the counterattack of the remaining members. Grey's flight instinct wins over, and he takes a rush for the nearest vehicle that still stands on four wheels, with the giantess following him.

Grey slumps heavily once he finds breath at the jeep's wheel.

"They got you, didn't they, little one?" The giantess crawls next to him, taking a slim knife that seems more like a stake in her hands without warning.

"It seems that way" Grey spits some blood from his mouth bitterly.

"C-Commander!" Amber cries in hysterics as soon as she reaches Grey, followed closely by Alex at her back, who defends them both to the best of her impaired abilities.

Unknown to this group, more Regulusian defenders have joined the fray, giving them a little window to breathe, although neither Kanmusu seem to acknowledge the change of the status quo.

"Are you alright?" Amber asks hurriedly.

With finesse that betrays her hulky frame in all senses and form, the giantess quickly rips Grey's shirt off with the greatest of ease, then uses a single finger to trace Grey's stomach.

"No organ damage, if my memory of terran hominids is correct" The giantess says solemnly. "Any metal inside you I should be wary of?"

"Besides the bullet? Not really" Grey scoffs half-bitterly, half-amusedly.

"I shall extract it"

"What-" Amber doesn't get to finish her sentence.

With a deft movement, the giantess spins a slim knife in her hand once, and stabs Grey's stomach without waiting.

" **AAAAGH!** "

The giantess doesn't wait for Grey to relax, and in less than a second, she pulls out her knife with the same precision she had pierced his stomach first.

**"** **GOD-FUCKING-DAMN-ALL-THE-STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"**

Grey doesn't get to see how the magnetic knife lets go of the bullet that was sticking out to its flat, and just some seconds later shines a bright red. This very same hot red knife is then run over his injury without giving him time to spare.

"I'm cauterizing the wound now"

**"** **FUCKALLTHEIMBECILESONSOFBITCHESASSHOLESMOTHERFUCKERSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"**

In less than 10 seconds, the giantess extracted the bullet from Grey's stomach and cauterized the wound with her all-purpose electro-knife. High utility blades made from a resistant alloy that could both be magnetized and turn the heat up to some few hundred degrees for a plethora of purposes, including cooking food, serving as a flashlight as well as lighter, burning your enemies' insides to a crisp, or when used with a little more finesse, doing impromptu bullet extractions and cauterizing wounds.

Sadly, for the Vault Hunter, she's not done yet, for she repeats the very same procedure on both ends of Grey's left shoulder after making sure that there was both an entry and exit point.

**"** **W-W-WAIT DON'T- GRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"**

Somehow, Grey feels that this is some sort of divine retribution, perhaps too surely one that he wholly deserves.

"You'll live" The giantess says smugly

But living is the least of the concerns she should have now.

"What did you do!?" Amber cries desperately at the sight of her seemingly unconscious Commander.

"I extracted the bullet and closed his wounds, little one" The giantess says humorously. "And thankfully, knocked him out"

Because all this continued shock should knock him out by all means. Receiving such continued short bursts of incredible pain is enough to knock a normal person out. Sadly for Grey Arkham, his nervous system is all but normal. All this pain would have crippled a normal person, but inadvertently, the Vault Hunter's companion has jumpstarted… something.

Grey goes limp for about 7 seconds, before his eyes shoot wide open. Neither the giantess nor the Ship Girls really make sense of how Grey wordlessly and slowly incorporates as if he had never been hurt in the first place. Amber, who was kneeling right in front of her Commander, watches agape Grey rise up like a mechanical doll. She soon sees her Commander's face under his bangs, and what she sees doesn't speak of anything good, his eyes are hazy, and do not truly focus neither on her or anything, no matter how much she pleads him. Grey stands up, picks up his weapon, reloads the rifle with a new magazine, and steps into the crossfire without saying a thing. Amber knows something is wrong, and it would be until much later that she'd come to understand just what happened.

Grey is in Overclock.


	17. Bipolar Nightmare

***BOOOOOOOM!***

Amidst the firefight, and across from both Grey's "assembly" and the Blue bandits, is a group of dysfunctional "friends", if they can even be called so, responding to the call of their allies within the remnants of the Regulusian faction. Most of them don't even know why they are here, to be honest. While a big number of them have some duties to perform, as food wouldn't bring itself to the table, for the most part, they are all done with this nonsense.

"Did you send those invitations!? I told you no more than 50 people!"

"Does it really matter, Ian!? This is a fucking shitstorm seven ways into next month anyway!"

"I had just finished paying my apartment, asshole!"

Aaaaaaand there goes Aeon.

"Like why do these fuckers still mess with us!? You'd think they would have stopped after stealing Regulusian resources dry for months straight!"

Ian has to take cover behind the debris of what used to be a convenience store, or at least that's what he gathers from the goofy cartoon character that is unnervingly winking at him. No matter what someone tells you, cartoons _can be_ and _are_ the stuff of nightmares, done incorrectly (or correctly, if that is the actual intent, but hey, whatever floats your boat). He's briefly joined by Aeon, but by the second the latter is back on his feet, he's once more blown away due to a grenade going off nearby.

"Why should **_I_** know, Sazco!?"

"Mac, like, seriously, dude. You're supposed to be the mayor's left-hand-man, right?" Ouch, that will leave a permanent mark. "If anyone should know, it's you"

"I'm a _left_ -hand-man, Bors! _LEFT_ , goddammit!" And that crazy douchebag with his giantess friend make Aeon fly in the air… again… "I don't know _shit_ about this place, dammit! I've been on this job for two weeks! That's why I'm the _left_ hand! Leave the diplomatic bullshit to the right hand!"

" _That's_ your excuse for being a lazy asshole?"

Wow, that was a nasty piledriver. And there goes that mofo besides Bors, who he didn't even know. He's glad that he's gone, though; he seemed like an asshole. Dude kept all the reloads for himself, that bastard!

"Oh, fuck you, Trance! If anything this is _your_ fault for owing money to everyone in Chariot! Who's to say these assholes aren't looking for you!? Don't you own money like to half of Alpha, all of Beta, and even the fucking Joker!?"

Yuck, that bandit lost his head in a gruesome explosion… and that other guy now has his left arm hanging like a noodle. Wow, that was a nasty strike to the chest.

"Hate to be that guy, but the motherfucking _Reds_ will be coming around the corner anytime soon, you know? Also, how's the fact that it was you who fucked Blood's sister, aunt, niece, reincarnation or whatever?"

Trance and Mac have to scurry to the sides to avoid being incinerated under the Emulsion flames. Aeon comes by flying across the air once more. This time he crashes against the giantess, who swiftly tosses him back into his supposed allies. Trance can swear he saw a silly smile on the guy's face as he was tossed onto the Blues.

"Don't give us that bullshit, Lars! Mark my words! If we survive I'm getting Nohrian on your butt first thing in the morning! It's your fault we've been stuck in this goddamn place for one year!"

"For once, I have to agree with Nozzo"

"Yeah, right! Do I need to remind you that it was _you_ who went off with Exodus' money!?"

"Doesn't help that we're being chased by goons from everywhere even from outside Chariot"

Aeon only lies with them for that instant in which he leaves his comment, as a rocket blasts his position, sending him flying, _again_.

"If you say it I believe it"

"Come **_ON_** , Aeon! Get your shit together already! "

"Not like we can leave anyway… Fucking Braver asshole…"

Ian peeks from his cover, and he kind of regrets doing so. Only Bors follows his gaze, and thereafter softly palms his face. It was _not_ a good night to work as a mercenary. Then again, what night was?

"Uuuuhhhh….. guys?"

"What is it?"

"Remember when we were in school, and we saw those cat-puller things in history class?"

"Ca-what?"

"Don't you mean catapult? Like those super-ancient things used for throwing stuff around?"

"Yeah, those!"

"What with them?"

"I think the Blues are about to catapult us"

Silence, followed by a series of shining balls in the sky that contrast against Chariot's broken moons with their furious red color. These burning spheres rise into the night sky among clouds of dark fumes, but then, following the force of gravity…

**_"_ ** **_MOTHERFUCKER!"_ **

Aeon would not be seen around for a while.

* * *

 

Fundamentally speaking, a big part of Grey's brain is a computer. And computers need maintenance; computers need updates; computers can be modified; computers can glitch out, and most important of all, computers can fail when not set properly. In the many years of meddling with his own personal computer (read: his own brain), Grey has come to realize one fundamental flaw regarding Overclock in its most basic form, one that is also shared with Full Overclock by proximity, even if it's not Limitless' fault.

_"_ _I'm going to kill Danny"_ Is Grey's first thought to form and the first to disappear when he regains function of himself, as that thought quickly disappears under a maelstrom of more pragmatic sequences regarding his current situation and how to deal with it, which is why he stands up and begins shooting the ever-living hell out of any bandits he gets a sight on, with extreme prejudice.

Shoddy coding, it all comes back to shoddy coding once more. Grey knows firsthand that his "technician" is a mess when it comes both to documentation and stable implementation/update/release of practically anything regarding building up anything digital. He couldn't negate her genius, as Full Overclock is more or less her design as a whole by proxy of Limitless, but the Vault Hunter more often than not finds that the only person in Chariot he can call a friend or anything remotely close to that level is a massive pain in the ass.

As a basis, Overclock is not designed for someone to be used by his own accord. Oh no. Overclock is a program that is supposed to be executed by an admin, a 3rd party. Grey's capability to use it on his own? Product of years and years of studying the source code of the Overclock program both on his own and Danny's supervision… and some testing; bio-organic structure coding is a practice that's supposed to be heavily regulated in the first place, so it's not like you'll simply stumble documentation regarding something like Overclock and its parent and related programs (unless snooping around _very_ specific places), notwithstanding the fact that as it stands right now, Grey's brain contains stolen and illegally modified digital property, so the very little that Grey knows regarding the inside of his skull, it's thanks to years and years of simply sitting at a monitor while gazing at the millions of lines, routines, subroutines, exceptions, variables and values, understanding the language from the ground up… and like said before, _lots_ of testing. He knows about the most important functions, or at least, _what_ they do, not really much _how_ they do it though, as that area is mostly covered by the more able Danny, and repeating once more, in the years that the unstable techno-nut has studied his code, the two of them, of course, have experimented with the program.

After all, you can learn so much from simply looking at the code when you could be executing it, watching it in action.

After many tests (of which a big number of them almost fried his brain, thanks to the many failsafes that by all means _should_ have killed him to avoid the very same snoopers that in the end _did_ break in), Danny was able to bypass the credential validations for the activation of the whole Overclock program and overturn them, but then she had to safely remove said portion of the code without damaging Grey's vital functions and re-implement the new "version" of Overlock… then create a whole subroutine at the source code to manually engage it.

Activating it wasn't the hardest part, to say the least.

* * *

 

One enemy falls, followed by another, one with each shot. A hit with the tip of the fingers, with the hand stretched out like a blade to the bandit's Adan apple, and the bandit drops his weapon, choking profusely, and with a swift one-handed motion, his neck is snapped. Another bandit has his arm twisted broken in an unnatural angle, and with a cry of sharp pain is taken hostage, used as a shield for bullets for just a few seconds, as the human cover is swiftly turned into Swiss cheese, becoming useless in short. The cover is left behind without wait, and the next shots take care of three more bandits. The Shield manages to hold out to the rest of the next target's magazine, as it runs out of bullets just before breaking it as expected; a wide step, and then a precise strike to the ribcage serves to stop the bandit's heart.

Amber watches in expected horror.

Alex is more entranced at the efficiency.

The giantess berserks through everything anyway.

Grey discards his empty rifle, and takes one of the many scattered enemy weapons that lie around, his pick being a half-empty Torgue Handcannon that soon leaves a bandit crippled with his left arm hanging awkwardly from a strand of tissue, and is followed by the gruesome burst of another's head. The Vault Hunter is then approached by a desperate bandit headfirst, and by spinning the now empty handgun in his hand, Grey grabs it by the barrel and cleanly smashes it against his assailant's head, the strike being so powerful that it breaks through the bandit's Shield and causes reduced but actual damage to his skull; the bandit stumbles in place, but he doesn't get to gather his surroundings, as he receives a powerful uppercut to the chin that knocks him out instantly courtesy of the Overclocked Vault Hunter.

Grey allows himself some respite as the giantess runs past him, having forgone her guns for the most part and dealing with her much smaller enemies in good ol' fashioned fisticuffs due to running out of bullets like him, which prove to be mildly effective, mostly because the Regulusian defenders are doing a good job of holding the enemies together if only due to their relentless advance.

Grey stops for just a moment, and pops his shoulder back in place, as his skull bashing had actually dislocated it. He decreases the levels of muscular strain and readjusts reaction time to fight without damaging his own body through his own actions.

If it weren't due to Overclock, Grey would be completely washed by one particular feeling at his current situation: utter frustration.

The advance is not going well, and even if he's killing tens of bandits by the minute, the goddamn reinforcements do not stop. Like always, small fry fall fast, but the ratio of time invested in offing them versus actually advancing keeps falling short in productivity. There's also the fact that the location has not changed in the 8 or so minutes Grey has spent in Overclock. They are all still within the friggin' parking lot, and it seems they'll be stuck in there for a while. There are no exit points, and Grey has to make sure to give the people of the inn an escape route, which results harder to find than expected.

For the past minutes, he's been focusing his efforts on keeping open the gateway between the main street and the inn's parking lot. It's not going well.

"Hold your fire! We're with you!" The giantess exclaims at the non-relenting Regulusian forces, but is ignored for the most part, as she is forced to take cover when three of them fire at her. "By the light of Antares! Stop, I say! Stop!"

"Don't waste your breath" A voice cracks behind her.

"What in the seven-!?" The giantess jolts and strikes at the sneaky bastard; but instead is mildly surprised to miss her target and instead dents the vehicle's chassis she's using as cover. She identifies Grey beside her, but then becomes somewhat disconcerted at his sneaking, as she hadn't felt him in the least (and she prided herself in her abilities), but also at seeing the young man's cloudy eyes, as they are not truly looking at her. "Little one!? By the scourge of Andromeda, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Irrelevant" Grey dismisses. "The Regulusians and Blues are not discriminating. We have to do something about their numbers"

She doesn't like his tone, but nonetheless complies. He had a plan to stop this bloodshed, and she had already pledged to assist him with it, so that she does.

"Understood. Shall we move?"

"Not yet" Grey articulates eloquently. "The civilians still need evacuation. We need to clear an exit for them"

The giantess nods solemnly, and Grey motions her to follow behind him, however, before he can take another step, he's interrupted by a harsh pull at the belt of his pants (Him having only tatters of a shirt in his torso).

"Amber" He says nonplussed, _unfeelingly_. "Orders are still in effect"

She doesn't submit.

**"** **Stay"**

And in that tone, Amber complies. This wasn't the usual Grey she was accustomed to, and she feels honest-to-goodness scared by this. For one, he didn't even _acknowledge_ her, and for another, his tone was completely dismissive, outright cold and demanding, and _not_ in his usual irritated attitude that she had come to associate him with.

No, right now, Grey wasn't being himself, but she still couldn't understand this. She still recognized the beaten man before her as her Admiral, but _this person wasn't her_ Admiral, or at least… the Grey Arkham she knew.

She obeys, as much as she hates it.

Amber thought many things of her Commander: Reckless, stubborn and violent were the first to come to mind, but amongst the many other words she could use, she would never use the term _cold_. Oh, no. She may not know him too well, but from what she's gathered of him, she can say, with little doubt, even if she's no expert on the people of Chariot by any stretch of the word, that her Commander is a person who is always looking at the people he comes across, even if he hates the great majority of them. She _wants_ to think that whatever the giantess did to her Commander has done something terrible to him, and while she has every reason to do so, _even then_ she doesn't conform to those thoughts. The only thing she's certain of is that there are far too many things happening at once, and push having come to shove (or more like a complete thrashing), she can barely focus on a single one as it stands.

She's overwhelmed in all senses.

And as for Alex? She outright _matches_ their Admiral in almost every single way, down from the expression down to the demeanor, although the lilac-haired girl also has to comply to the orders, and that she did too, for she is no longer beside her Admiral.

Amber turns her heels to go for her fellow Kanmusu.

* * *

 

One bullet, one headshot, one cry of pain aloud, and another muffled one. Alex can't keep doing this, and she knows this, even though she refuses to acknowledge it. It's not verbal, but as much as she tries to keep her persona on, her mask of cold apathy, the creeping fear hasn't left her yet in the least, and in fact, she's slowly succumbing to it, struggling with her own fight or flight instinct.

"Move. _Now_ "

Thankfully, the black-haired alien woman complies with her face perfectly neutral, and she moves with wide but silent steps towards the Mammoth, pulling the alien kid with her pale hand along. The kid for his part is terrified, but still has enough sense to follow.

"Miss! Watch out!" He cries sharply, and Alex is thankful to know that his warning is founded, for she is able to pull herself out of the blast radius of yet another Emulsion cocktail that bursts near her. She gives the kid an acknowledging nod, but then pressures him to follow the ghastlier lady, all while hiding the stinging of her arm.

Once she's back with the group, Alex hands the keys to the grumpy elder, who reluctantly helps load Grey's Mammoth with the 7 or so survivors from the inn. It takes more than a minute to compose them amidst the fire and gunshots, but in the end, half or so of the original group manages to jump inside, the rest having died either immolated or shot in the crossfire. The process takes a lot longer than expected, as for all intents and purposes, Alex has no one to help her gather the civilians; the elder from before had taken one of the discarded weapons from a corpse he did not bother to identify either as a bandit or a defender, but as he had no other form of making himself useful or give support, the gun quickly becomes empty and useless without more magazines to reload it, and Alex soon finds that the elder's aim is terrible and has an even worse time moving roughly. She hadn't noted that he had also stumped when he was forced out of the building the first time, but she did see now that he seemed unfit to fight in more than one way. What his condition was she didn't care not know, and though she inwardly cursed her luck at the lack of support, she still carried on her given orders to protect these innocents.

Even if doing so breaks her. Even if it's a losing battle.

Gathering them was the first problem. These people, while they seemed to have experience in dealing with bandits, it was clear they weren't used to such a grand-scale attack. They did know that they should find cover first and foremost, and as such, they had scattered around the parking lot. They didn't necessarily stray too far away, and neither did any of them rush to the main streets, as they were conscious that going out there would be suicide, if their still being nearby the only people they knew for certain wouldn't shoot them (namely Grey, the giantess, Amber and herself, and that was being technical. Neither Amber or Alex were in any position to be of much help either) said anything.

Keeping them alive was the second problem. The fire is killing everyone indiscriminately, even the ones who caused it, namely the bandits. Their advance is reckless, but terribly effective nonetheless, and Alex can't fathom how it is that their numbers simply _do not thin out_ , no matter how many people the Regulusian defenders and her Commander take out. True to the elder's words from before, these golden flames do not recede, and although their spread rate doesn't seem to be fast enough on its own, the fact that they remain burning for so long and that they can be hardly put off is an issue of its own. The fire is killing a lot of people from all sides, and it being there in the first place makes navigation a headache as it is.

The third was, ironically, the defenders. With neither her Commander, Amber nor herself being truly affiliated with the people of Regulus in the first place, it stood as consequence for them to be caught in the crossfire, and for better or worse, they had dragged the giantess towards all this mess (Who didn't seem all too bothered by this anyway). Due to how the situation had escalated, it seemed obvious that the defenders were also on the verge of hysteria, as they couldn't make sense of who's who.

And the fourth main problem, Alex knew, was herself. She's crumbling at the pressure, her internal injuries, the lack of ammo, at the fire, the lack of support from her Commander now when she needs it most, at the direness of her situation, but more than anything, she's crumbling onto herself. She doesn't truly understand what the hell is going on either. It's not the fire by itself, it's not the death around her, it's not the conflict in front of her; it's the feeling of helplessness that is devouring her inside out.

She tries, and fails, because she doesn't even feel like herself at this moment, so she inwardly curses.

"You!" The elder calls for Alex, as he's already taken the wheel. "Get on already, will ya!?"

"W-w-wait! What about the other girl!? And that guy!? O-or that big lady!?" The alien kid cries. "A-are we leaving without them!?"

Unknown to them, Alex is waging a war inside her. She's torn between following her given orders and doing what she truly desires, and it is taking every ounce of her being to fight herself. One side of her tells her to do as her Commander has instructed, _to do her duty to him as his Kanmusu_ , another side tells her to double back and join him¸ _as it is her duty as a soldier_ , and yet… another side tells her to abandon such a worthless Admiral.

But she doesn't know which voice is her own.

She cannot bring herself to do anything.

It's not about temptation; as much as she hates Grey's guts, she cannot come to embrace the idea of leaving behind the one person who took her away from the hell that was Capricho. No, that would be a fate worse than death; it would be repeating what that person did to her that time, only worse.

She double-backs on the thought of _"duty"_ , because the concept as a whole results alien to her unexpectedly. _How_ is she bound to the person known as Grey Arkham? Actually, take that a bit further, _why_ must she be fighting for all these people? Unpleasant memories from her time before her Commander and Amber surge with tremendous force, with _anger_.

Alex's face twists into a scornful grimace.

_Why_ must she be fighting and getting bloodied like this!? Why must she be fighting a fight that isn't hers!? Her Commander is right, she has no reason to do this nonsense!

But…

She double-backs on this train of thought as well. The ghosts of memories, disturbingly fitting, hauntingly unfamiliar, torturously painful and for all intents and purposes, _alien_ to Destroyer Alex do not recede, and a will that she doesn't know _who_ it belongs to, yet is unable to discard, pushes her onward to the uncertain path.

"Miss!?" The scholar with a ruined shirt and a marred face grunts nervously as the Kanmusu keeps looking at him with a serious expression, and he finds himself very uncomfortable at the girl's piercing gaze. But he doesn't understand that Alex isn't actually looking at him, but past him, because she's looking at the void.

"I…"

But she would not be able to finish her phrase. Without her knowing, the elder's eyes become wide like plates as he gazes into the sky, and soon after, she would know that things had officially gone to hell.


End file.
